Softball: Rock Valley punches ticket to 4th straight National Tournament
Rock Valley captured its fourth straight Region IV Championship on Saturday afternoon, to punch their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament on May 18-21 in Rochester, MN. Rock Valley is currently the #1 ranked NJCAA DIII team in the country and is searching for its third straight National Championship.
In game 1, Rock Valley defeated Harper College 13-0 in 5 innings.
Olivia Fluehr got the win in the circle, going five innings, giving up three hits, zero runs and racking up eight strikeouts. Fluehr also had a grand slam in the fourth inning and finished with five RBI on the day.
Dakota Watson also led the charge offensively for the Golden Eagles, going 3 for 3 with a HR and 2 RBI.
Game 2 was filled with drama as the Golden Eagles defeated College of DuPage, who came into the tournament ranked fourth in the country, 6-5 in 8 innings. After a three run home run in the top of the first inning, Rock Valley trailed the entire game and found themselves down 5-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Mikayla Seay started the rally with a leadoff single, and
Taylor Carlson smacked an RBI-double followed by
Olivia Fluehr's two-run triple that pulled the Golden Eagles to within one.
Abby Kissack's sacrifice fly ball knotted it up, and RVC won it in the bottom of the eighth on a walk-off walk by
Hannah Long.
Morgan Adolph went the distance in the circle, pitching all eight innings, giving up nine hits, 4 earned runs and striking out eight. The win sent the Golden Eagles into the Region Championship game.
In the Championship game, the Golden Eagles faced a familiar foe in College of DuPage who won their consolation game against Joliet Junior College. It took the Golden Eagles only four batters to get control of Saturday's final, as
Mikayla Seay started the game with a leadoff home run, and Fluehr cracked a three-run shot three batters later to boost RVC up 4-0. Rock Valley would go on to win the game 8-3. Fluehr got the win in the circle, going all seven innings, giving up seven hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run and striking out five.
Rock Valley had five players named to the All-Tournament team,
Olivia Fluehr,
Dakota Watson,
Summer Amman,
Taylor Carlson and
Mikayla Seay. Fluehr went 2-0, in 12 IP, gave up 10 hits, one earned run, and struck out 13 batters. She also went 5 for 8 at the plate, with a triple, two home runs, and 10 RBI. Watson went 4 for 9 with a home run and 2 RBI. Amman went 8 for 10 with three doubles, two RBI and five runs scored. Seay went 6 for 11 with a double, a home run, two RBI and six runs scored. Carlson went 6 for 10, with a double, two RBI and four runs scored.
Head Coach
Darin Monroe also picked up the Region IV Coach of the Year award for the fourth straight year and won his 200
th career game during game one against Harper College. Monroe has led the Golden Eagles to four straight Region Championships, four straight N4C Conference Championships, and will be competing for their third straight National Championship. His staff has won back-to-back National Coaching Staff of the Year honors for 2014 and 2015 and now has a career record of 202-53.
