For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News
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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Freshman Megan Butzner drove home three runs and Frostburg State scored two runs in the fourth and sixth innings to earn a 5-3 win over Piedmont (Ga.) in the NCAA Division III softball tournament on a warm, sunny afternoon at Christopher Newport University.
It was the first NCAA Tournament win in school history for Frostburg State. The sixth seeded Bobcats (30-15) will play again today, at 10 a.m., against the loser of last night’s game between top-seeded Salisbury (34-2) and fourth-seeded Messiah (36-7). Piedmont was eliminated from the Newport News Regional and ended the year 29-12.
Butzner was a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Lindsay Freitag was 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and a double in leading the Bobcats. Jacki Lynch was 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the third inning that put the Bobcats up 1-0.
Butzner led off the third with a single and eventually made it to third before Lynch’s single put FSU on the board.
Piedmont moved ahead with two runs, one unearned, in the bottom of the second inning for a 2-1 edge.
FSU then took control with two runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Freitag doubled to left center, scoring Taylor Vandegrift, and Butzner scored Freitag with a single to cap the fourth.
In the sixth, Vandegrift reach on an error and Freitag singled to right center to place to runners in second and third. Butzner then singled to right plating two runs as FSU surged ahead 5-2.
The Lions made a late charge in the bottom of the seventh inning. With two outs, Piedmont had runners at second and third and Rebecca Renfroe singled home a run to cut the deficit to 5-3 but Frostburg State recorded the last out to hold on for win.
Megan Magee earned the win, improving to 19-9 on the season. She allowed seven hits, two earned runs and struck out seven.
Megan McClain, the leadoff hitter in the Piedmont lineup, went 4-for-4. The rest of the Lions were a combined 3-for-21 off Magee.
