Campus News

Linfield 8, Redlands 5

MARSHALL, Texas (5/7/09) -- Staci Doucette's three-run home run in the first inning jump-started top-ranked Linfield Thursday, and the Wildcats cruised to an 8-5 win over Redlands in the 200 NCAA Softball Championship West Regional at Taylor Field.

The victory sends No. 1 Linfield (37-4) into a winners' bracket game Friday against Texas-Tyler at 4 p.m. The loss eliminated Redlands (30-12) from the regional, as the Bulldogs had dropped a 2-1 loss to UT Tyler in the first game of the day Thursday.

Doucette's long blast in the first inning gave a quick 3-0 lead to Linfield ace Brittany Miller (14-2), and the lead ballooned to 5-0 entering the top of the fifth.

But Redlands touched up Miller for four runs in the fifth to get back to within one, 5-4. The Wildcats continued their offensive surge, however, with insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings on the way to the 8-5 win.

Miller allowed five earned runs on seven hits and struck out five. Olivia Ellis (23-7) took the loss for Redlands, allowing five earned runs on six hits in five complete innings of work.