NKU’s Jenny Weis

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - How does a softball team commit 11 errors in one game and not get blown off the field during the NCAA Division II Tournament?

Or, in this case, how does a softball team commit 11 errors in one game and actually win that same contest during the NCAA Division II Tournament?

Just ask the players and coaches at either Northern Kentucky University or Southern Indiana for the answers to those questions.

On Saturday, those two teams produced one of the wildest, wackiest softball games in NCAA Tournament history, complete with an ending that bordered on the supernatural. And when it ended, NKU had pulled out an improbable 11-8 victory over Southern Indiana in the winner’s bracket final of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional at Cougar Field.

NKU (41-19) advanced to Sunday’s championship round and needs just one victory to capture the Great Lakes Region title for a third straight year and earn a trip to Salem, Va., for the NCAA Division II World Series. The Norse will meet either Southern Indiana or Southern Illinois at Edwardsville at 3:30 p.m.

On Saturday, NKU committed a mind-numbing, NCAA Tournament-record 11 errors and trailed 7-4 going into its last at-bat in the top of the seventh inning. Ricki Rothbauer - who finished with three errors at second base - started the rally with an infield hit, and Heather Cotner followed with a single to left-center.

Sarah King hit a liner up the middle that was knocked down by Southern Indiana pitcher Missy Grover, who forced Rothbauer at third for the first out. Grover then hit Amanda Smith with a pitch to load the bases, and Rachele Vogelpohl singled up the middle to drive in Cotner and make it 7-5.

Grover was replaced in the circle at that point by Lindsey McNaughton, and Cara Parker brought NKU within 7-6 with a sacrifice fly to right field. Southern Indiana then elected to walk Shatona Campbell - who had already homered and added a two-run triple - to face catcher Jenny Weis with the bases loaded.

McNaughton quickly got ahead in the count at 0-2, but Weis battled back. The freshman then hit a liner that just eluded second baseman Audra Lindenschmidt into right for a two-run single to give NKU an 8-7 lead. Kara Lorenz followed with a two-run single to make it 10-7, and Rothbauer added an RBI hit to left-center as the Norse took an 11-7 advantage.

Jennifer Mullikin greeted NKU pitcher Candace White with a solo homer to begin the bottom of the seventh. Lacey Ligmanowski later had a one-out single, and NKU head coach Kathy Stewart replaced White with Smith at pitcher. Smith allowed an infield hit, but she retired the final two batters on grounders to the circle and the Norse moved within one victory of their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II World Series.

White picked up the win for NKU, and Smith notched her fourth save of the season.

Rothbauer went 3-for-5 for NKU, while Vogelpohl - who just missed a home run in the sixth - was 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Campbell drove in four runs for the Norse, who allowed just three earned runs in the game. Parker tied an NCAA Tournament record with four errors at third base.

BOX SCORE