GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – On Tuesday afternoon, the Indiana Tech softball team faced its toughest test of the season as they traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a doubleheader against Aquinas College. Heading into the day, both Indiana Tech and Aquinas were sitting tied atop the WHAC standings with a 14-4 record, two games ahead of third place Concordia University (Mich.). With only four games left of conference play at the start of the day, the doubleheader would have big implications on who would take home the WHAC crown. The 8-time WHAC regular season champion Saints last won the regular season title in 2021, while the Warriors would be dreaming of their first in program history. By Tuesday night, that dream has almost become reality, as the Warriors are now just one win away from their first ever WHAC Championship after sweeping Aquinas Tuesday afternoon.

In game one of the doubleheader at Aquinas, the Warriors had to come from behind to earn the victory. Trailing 1-0 after the first inning, Bella Brock led off the second for the Warriors with a solo shot down the left field line to tie the game at one. Aquinas would score a run in the third and fourth innings to take a 3-1 lead into the fifth. The Tech bats would heat up in the top of the fifth inning as seven batters would come to the plate. Maire Trouba hit an RBI double to left center to score Alyssa Fox and then Jayme Koning would hit an RBI single to centerfield to bring Trouba home to tie the game at three. The game remained that way through seven innings. With first place in the conference on the line, the two teams prepared for extra innings. In the eighth, it was Indiana Tech's Meghan Berlin who became the hero after hitting a two-out RBI single to centerfield that allowed Meagan Barton to score from second. Barton's run would be enough for the Warriors to escape with the win in game one after freshman pitcher, Savannah Bravo shutdown the Saints in the bottom of the eighth, retiring three straight batters to end the game. Bravo pitched 4.2 innings for the Warriors, not allowing a hit or run after coming in to relive starting pitcher Carlye Walter in the fourth inning. Bravo threw eight strikeouts and earned her 12^th win of the season in a must win game for the Warriors. Brock led the Warriors with three hits in the game, going a perfect three-for-three at the plate with a walk and an RBI. Trouba and Berlin went a combined three-for-four, with a run scored and two RBIs in the clutch for the Warriors, while Koning also had an RBI.

With one win under the belt, the Warriors knew they needed another in game two because a loss would bring Aquinas back into a tie for first with them. Tech would ride that momentum from game one with a strong start in game two, scoring three runs in the second and third innings to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Aquinas would score one run in the bottom of the third, but the Warriors would answer with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, leaving no doubt about who would end the day in first place in the WHAC. The Warriors would win game two by a final of 9-1, run-ruling the Saints in six innings. Jordan Dippel led the Warriors offense with three hits and a run scored in game two, while Fox led the team with three RBIs. Koning, Barton, and Kiersten Delaney also picked up RBIs in the win. The Warriors pitching in game two allowed just four hits and one run to the Saints over the six innings. Karra Leeger-Capraro started the game and earned the win, her seventh of the year, throwing one strikeout in two innings of work, while giving up just two hits and one run. Bravo came in to relieve Leeger-Capraro in the third and pitched four innings, allowing just two hits and throwing three strikeouts.

With the sweep, Tech now sits alone atop the WHAC standings at 16-4. Concordia is in second at 16-6, while Aquinas and the University of Northwest Ohio sit tied for third at 14-6. The Warriors have two games left of their conference season against the University of Michigan-Dearborn, which is a makeup from a rainout earlier this season. The Warriors were up 6-2 though six innings of play before rain caused the rest of game one as well as game two to be postponed. Tech will hit the road on Thursday, April 27^th to play out the rest of game one, set to start at 3 pm, followed by game two against UM-Dearborn. The Warriors only need to win one of these two games to claim their first ever WHAC title.

- TECH -