NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Brennan Balfour hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning to send third seeded Susquehanna to a 3-1 win over sixth seeded Frostburg State in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Softball Championship, Thursday. 

Box Score

The Bobcats (29-15) threatened several times in the game but were never able to overtake the Crusaders (32-11). FSU will play the loser of the No. 2 Christopher Newport/No. 7 Piedmont game tomorrow at noon.

Sophomore starter Megan Magee (Egg Harbor City, N.J./Holy Spirit) scattered nine hits in the circle and struckout six while enduring her first loss in seven starts.

Susquehanna plated a single run in the bottom of the first inning for an early 1-0 lead. Deanna Anderson led off the contest with a walk and later scored on an error.

FSU threatened in the top of the third inning when junior Megan Henne (Pasadena, Md./Northest) singled to lead off the frame and advanced to second when the Susquehanna leftfielder misplayed the ball. Later in the inning, freshman Jacki Lynch (Baltimore, Md./North County) singled to center but Henne was called out at home on a close play at the plate.

The Bobcats threatened again in the top of the fourth when senior Lindsay Freitag (Baltimore, Md./Parkville) and junior Victoria Krichbaum (Olney, Md./Sherwood) reached base and advanced to second and third, respectively, with two outs. However, Susquehanna got the final out on a ground ball to keep a slim 1-0 lead.

However, Frostburg State broke through in the fifth for a single run to knot the contest at 1-1. Freitag led off the inning with a single to left. She advanced to second on an error by the leftfielder and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from junior Brooke Tapman (Pocomoke, Md./Pocomoke). Krichbaum then plated Frietag with a sac fly to right field.

In the bottom of the seventh, Lisa Finizio singled to third and advanced on an error to put a runner in scoring position for the Crusaders. Finizio later took third base on a wild pitch but Magee worked out of the jam with a pop out and a ground out to send the game to extra innings.

Frostburg State threatened again in the top of the ninth. Freshman Taylor Vandegrift (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) singled through the right side and moved to third on an error by the infield. She was later thrown out on a close play at the plate to end the threat.

Susquehanna’s Anderson walked to leadoff the bottom of the ninth and Balfour later ended the contest with a bomb to centerfield.

Susquehanna, which claimed the first-ever meeting between the two schools, advances in the tournament to play the winner of the Christopher Newport/Piedmont game tomorrow at 4:00 pm.