MONTGOMERY, Ill. - The Rockford University softball team (23-18) saw its historic season come to a close on Friday night at the 2021 NACC South Division Tournament. The Regents battled hard from start to finish as they have done all season long, but unfortunately fell 9-4 to the No. 2 Seed Benedictine University Eagles (31-12). Annaka Bartz emphatically led off the game with a solo shot over the left field wall, to put her team out in front 1-0. However, the Eagles would score the next seven runs to leap in front 7-1. The large deficit did not deter the Regents however, as they it they cut it in half, with a three-run sixth. Unfortunately, Benedictine put the game away with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning en route to a 9-4 win. Rockford's 23 wins are the most in a single-season since 2006 (28) and the Regents have now had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2005 and 2006.
- The Regents once again struck first with a single run in the top of the first inning.
- Annaka Bartz opened the game with a solo blast over the left field wall to give her team an early lead.
- Unfortunately, the Eagles answered right back with four runs in the bottom of the first. Benedictine used three hits and two walks to score its four runs and take a 4-1 advantage.
- After a flurry of runs in the first inning, both Mikayla Seay and Megan Fast began to settle down inside the circle. The two pitchers combined to allow just four hits over the next three innings, as the score remained 4-1.
- However, Benedictine would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Eagles used four hits and took advantage of two Regent errors, to make it a 7-1 game.
- Fortunately, as has been the case all season long, there was absolutely no quit in this team. The Regents came right back and scored three runs of their own in the top of the sixth, to cut the deficit in half.
- Annaka Bartz and Emily Cox got things started with a pair of one-out walks. One batter later, Mikayla Seay crushed an RBI double to left center, scoring Bartz, and making it a 7-2. Emily Cox would subsequently score on a wild pitch, to close the gap to 7-3. One batter later, Gretchen Schrubbe drove in Seay with an RBI groundout, to get the deficit to 7-4.
- Unfortunately, Benedictine would put the game away in the bottom half of the sixth. Following a pair of quick outs, the Eagles strung together a double, a walk and then a two-run double to center, extending their lead to 9-4.
- The Regents were able to get a pair of hits in the seventh from Paige Korsan and Jessica Kearns, but it was not enough, as Rockford fell by a final score of 9-4.
