EDWARDSVILLE – Freshman Rhiannon Aurand (Avondale, PA/Avon Grove) came up large for the Wilkes University softball team to lead the Colonels to a 2-1 victory over DeSales University in an elimination game of the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) Championship Friday afternoon at the Ralston Athletic Complex. Aurand knocked the go-ahead single in the bottom of the sixth inning while also pitching the final three innings scoreless to help the Colonels advance.

With the victory Wilkes, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, improved to 26-15 overall this season. The Colonels will now face No. 2 seed Misericordia University in a rematch of Wilkes' first game of the tournament in another elimination game Saturday at 11:00 a.m. DeSales, the No. 4 seed, was eliminated from the tournament following the loss to Wilkes with a 0-2 record on the day and finished the season at 16-24 overall.

The Colonels were able to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning behind the efforts of Gab Giordano (Moscow, PA/Holy Cross). She singled through the left side with one out and then advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Sarah Gibson (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley). Giordano then stole third but the Bulldogs were not covering the bag as catcher Sam Napoli's throw went into left field allowing Giordano to score.

DeSales responded with a leadoff double in the top of the fourth from Ciarrah Holmqvist. She would then cross the plate to tie the score at 1-1 on Napoli's RBI-single to center.

Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) led off the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle. Caitlin Brown (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) then moved Staunton to second with her tenth sacrifice bunt of the season. Aurand, in just her 12th at-bat of the year, then followed with the clutch run-producing single to center to bring in Staunton with the go-ahead run.

Aurand then sat down the 2-3-4 hitters for DeSales in order in the top of the seventh with a strikeout to end the game to advance the Colonels in the tournament. The freshman pitched 3.0 innings of shutout ball allowing just one hit to improve to 7-3 in the circle this season.

Celine Podlesney (Hazle Twp., PA/Hazleton) went 4-plus innings allowing one run on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts as the starting pitcher for Wilkes.

Giordano, Erin Cabry (York, PA/Central York), Staunton, Brown, Podlesney, Aurand, Jordyn Kondras (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) and Jaime Martin (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) all had one hit in the game.

The winner of the Wilkes and Misericordia game tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. will then face No. 1 seed Manhattanville College at 1:00 p.m. The Colonels or Cougars will have to win two in a row against the Valiants to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament which will be on the line from the MAC Freedom.