Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Northeastern State softball team advanced to the finals of the 2014 MIAA Championship by splitting a pair of games Friday afternoon at the Blue Valley Recreation Complex.
 
The RiverHawks (29-29), seeded No. 8 in the tournament and needing a 14-13 nine-inning win in the last game of the regular season just to qualify for the postseason, fell 3-1 to No. 3 seed Missouri Western State University (37-16) in the finals of the winner's bracket.
 
The setback dropped NSU into the loser's bracket where, for the second-straight day, the team upset top-seeded and No. 13-ranked Emporia State (46-12). The second win over the Hornets was 3-1 this time around and knocked out the top team in the tournament.
 
The RiverHawks continued their historic run through the championship, as they became first No. 8 seed in at least 14 years (MIAA record books only go back to 2000) to advance to the finals of the tournament. NSU was also the first No. 8 seed to post a 2-0 mark on the first day of competition.
 
Northeastern State will now meet the Griffons at noon May 3 and will need to win twice to claim the conference championship.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE 3, NORTHEASTERN STATE 1 (box score)
Missouri Western's Jackie Bishop (24-8) had her way with the NSU lineup, as she struck out a career-high 17 batters en route to the winning effort. She took a no-hitter into the sixth inning but eventually settled for a one-run, four-hit performance. She threw 116 pitches in the game and at one point struck out 10 straight RiverHawks.
 
Sophomore Kayce Wooldridge (17-13) was unable to match Bishop in the K-category (she finished with three), but she only threw 71 pitches and kept the vaunted Griffon offense off the board in the first five frames. She only allowed three runs (one earned) to a team that had run-ruled its first two opponents in the tournament. She also conceded just six hits in 6.0 innings.
 
Bishop sat down the first two batters in the top of the sixth on strikeouts, but her no-hit bid was broken up by a double to right center from freshman Lauren Flanary. Senior Madison Reed singled next to plate Flanary and give NSU a 1-0 lead.
 
A Morgan Rathmann solo homer and an outfield error allowed MWSU to take a 3-1 lead after six frames, and the Griffons held on for the victory.
 
No player had more than one hit, run or RBI in the pitcher's duel.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE 3, #13 EMPORIA STATE 1 (box score)
The finals of the loser's bracket went nowhere for the first three innings, but Northeastern State took control of proceedings with runs in the next three frames to shut the door on the top-seeded Hornets.
 
Wooldridge continued to make her case for being one of the elite pitchers in the MIAA, as she allowed just one run on six hits in her third complete-game victory of the tournament. She only needed 88 pitches and forced 14 groundouts.
 
Emporia State countered with Kaitlyn Caston (33-7), who suffered the loss after allowing three runs on 10 hits in 7.0 frames.
 
Freshman Madison Boyd doubled to begin the fourth and put NSU on top 1-0 when senior Megan Robison hit an RBI single. Flanary added an insurance run on an RBI single up the middle from senior Allyson Pogue in the fifth, and Robison hit a solo homer in the sixth to give the RiverHawks a 3-0 edge.
 
Meanwhile, the Hornet batters continued to struggle as Wooldridge dominated in the circle.
 
ESU avoided the shutout by plating a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Wooldridge would not give up another tally as NSU advanced to the MIAA Championship finals.
 
Robison finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Reed and junior Alyssa Aguilar both had two hits. No Hornet had multiple hits.
 
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