Box Score Solid defense, pitching, and clutch hitting all accumulated into John Carroll's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory Friday at the Alma (MI) Regionals.   

Mackenzie Griffin—with runners on first and second—came up in the bottom of the seventh inning and slapped a base hit down the left field line to drive in the game winning run for the Blue Streaks, who avoiding elimination in the tournament with a 3-2 victory over the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes. 

From defense to offense to pitching, it was a complete team effort for JCU.  The Blue Streak defense only committed one error and made many key plays to keep them in the ballgame, while Brittany Danilov was able to work out of a bases loaded jam with nobody out in the seventh to preserve the 2-2 tie heading into the bottom of the seventh. 

The Blue Streak bats came alive immediately in Friday's contest as they struck for two runs on four hits in the first inning.  Senior Erin Riccardi had an RBI single that drove in Sam Becker, then two hitters later, Michelle Murphy drove in Griffin to put the Blue & Gold up 2-1. 

Then in the sixth, the Golden Tornadoes came storming back with an RBI single from Rachel Lee to tie the game at two.  Geneva would threaten again in the seventh as they loaded the bases off three consecutive hits with nobody out.  The wind would soon be taken out of the Golden Tornadoes, however, as Danilov fought right back to retire to next three hitters, which culminated with her striking out Geneva pitcher Julie DiLonardo to work her way out of the jam. 

“I just took it one pitch at a time,” said Danilov when asked about her approach in getting out of the jam. “I knew I needed to keep the ball low, and I really tried to not think about the situation I was in.” 

The Blue Streak bats fed off the momentum of Danilov's pitching and came right back with a rally of their own as Lia Locey and Morgan Robinson each had one out base hits to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with one out.  Sam Becker would fly out
for the second out of the inning, as Griffin then stepped to the plate with a chance to win. 

And the junior from Lake Oswego, Oregon delivered.

Griffin slapped a DiLonardo pitch down the left field line for a game-winning base hit, as sophomore Beckie Reid—who pinch-ran at second for Locey—scored easily to clinch the 3-2 victory as the Blue Streaks will onward in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

“I was really excited,” said Griffin when asked about her game-winning knock. “I just wanted to go out today and play our game, and I'm really excited to be here.  I love my team and I love the seniors and I want to go out and win another one for them.”

Reid, who has acquired a reputation for being a reliable pinch runner off the bench all season long for John Carroll, felt no greater joy than to come off the bench late in the ballgame to score the winner for her team. 

“I looked at Coach [Brooks] after Kenzie hit that ball, and she had such huge eyes and such excitement on her face,” said Reid. “Just to round third and look back as I was running and see the ball knocked off the left fielder's glove , and then to step on that plate and look back at my teammates, you have no sense of a greater feeling than to know that you just won the game for your team.” 

Brittany Danilov improved to 23-6 on the season with the Blue & Gold's victory, while Geneva's DiLonardo fell to 26-18 on the season.  .

With the victory, the Blue Streaks move on in the loser's bracket as they will face either Alma College or Ohio Athletic Conference rival Ohio Northern in an elimination game Saturday May 12 at noon in Alma.

Stay tuned to www.jcusports.com for continual coverage of John Carroll's participation in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.