Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GAMBIER, Ohio – It took a couple of extra innings Saturday, but the Kenyon College Ladies softball team got exactly what it wanted. Toni Miller's clutch hit in extra innings of game one gave the Ladies a 3-2 victory over first-place DePauw University and clinched the team a spot in the upcoming North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Ladies, who dropped game two of the doubleheader by a 7-1 count, finished off the regular season with a 22-13 overall record and a 10-6 record in the NCAC. This Kenyon team becomes the sixth in program history to make the conference tournament. It is, however, only the second to do so with an overall winning record. The Ladies' current 22-13 mark is the best in program history.

Kenyon will enter the postseason as the conference tournament's No. 3-seeded team.  DePauw (19-15, 13-3 NCAC) is the top-seeded team and will host all tournament games, which begin Friday, May 3 and concluded the following day. Wittenberg University will go in as the No. 2 seed, while the No. 4 seed will come down to a tie-breaker between Denison University and Allegheny College.

In order for the Ladies to put themselves in that postseason position, they had the difficult task of taking at least one game from DePauw in Saturday's doubleheader. To make matters worse, the Ladies spotted the Tigers a 2-0 lead after five-and-a-half innings of play in game one.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Ladies broke up a no-hitter and got their offense on track. With one out, senior Jamie Samuel laced a double down the right field line. Chelsea Delaney followed with a single to left field and Lindsey Susolik drew a walk to load the bases. After the Tigers were able to get one more out, Miller stepped to the plate and ripped another single into left field, scoring Samuel. Liz Paterra then drew a walk, one of four walks in the game for her, to push home Delaney with the tying run.

Neither team could end it in regulation and neither scored in the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, the Tigers went quietly. In the bottom of the ninth, the Ladies did not. Samuel was plunked and took first base. Susolik walked and scooted Samuel over to second. Later, with two outs, Miller struck again. This time the sophomore catcher singled to right field, allowing Samuel to round third and score the winning run.

While Miller was clutch, Maddy Stark was consistent. The Ladies starting pitcher tossed all nine innings and gave up just four hits and three walks. She fanned eight DePauw batters and improved upon her Kenyon single-season records for wins (17) and strikeouts (116).

In game two, the Ladies didn't have much to celebrate. DePauw batters beat up on Stark and Samuel, who came on in relief during the second inning. The Tigers piled up ten hits and cruised to a 7-1 win.

About the only game-two highlight for Kenyon came from Emily Prehoda. The senior centerfielder, in her final collegiate at-bat on home turf, blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was the fourth homer of her season and the 12th of her career.

On the day, Miller, Samuel, and Stark were the only Ladies to register a couple of hits. Samuel's two hits were split between the two games and extended her hitting streak to 18 games.