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Findlay, Ohio -- The Wayne State University softball squad (40-9 overall) won its 15th consecutive contest with a dramatic 3-2 triumph over Grand Valley State (29-11) Saturday afternoon in the winner's bracket final of the 2014 GLIAC Tournament being held at the Marathon Diamonds Sports Complex in Findlay, Ohio.

WSU advances to Sunday's championship round as the lone unbeaten team in the double-elimination tournament.  Fourth-seeded GVSU is currently playing the No. 1 seed Ohio Dominican University Panthers in the loser's bracket final, with the winner advancing to play the Warriors on Sunday.  The championship game contest is scheduled to begin at 10 am, while the "if necessary" would follow at noon should Wayne State be upended in the 10 am game.

In Saturday's game, the visiting Lakers scored twice in the top of the first as Kelsey Dominguez worked a one-out walk, the only free pass allowed by Warrior starting pitcher Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) in the contest.  Briauna Taylor then ripped an 0-2 offering into right center for a double with Dominguez having to hold at third as WSU center fielder Shannon Hilton (Gilford, Ont. / Bradford) cut the ball off before the warning track.  After fouling off consecutive 1-2 pitches from Butler, GVSU senior Miranda Cleary hit a grounder to second, the throw home was into the runner and the ball continued to the backstop allowing Taylor to score putting the Lakers ahead 2-0.

Wayne State junior Emily Bryce (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester Adams) led off the second with a single and made it to third before the final out was recorded.

Butler set down six GVSU batters in a row before Cleary had a leadoff single in the fourth, but Butler then proceeded to strike out the next three hitters.  Butler struck out two of the three Grand Valley State batters in the fifth, before the Warriors got on the scoreboard.  Freshman Devin Hentschel (Wyoming, Mich. / Rogers), who entered the game with just one extra-base hit (a double) all season, ripped a 1-2 pitch from Laker pitcher Lauren Gevaart over the left field fence for her first collegiate home run to pull WSU within a run at 2-1.

Butler worked around an infield single in the sixth, and a leadoff single in the seventh setting the stage for a fantastic finish.

Fifth-year senior second baseman Julie Ingratta (Markham, Ont. / St. Thomas of Villanova College) laced a 1-0 offering into left center for a double leading off the frame.  Sophomore third baseman Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic) was unable to get down a sacrifice bunt on back-to-back pitches after starting ahead 1-0 in the count, then blooped a single into shallow center field advancing Ingratta to third.  Following a lineout, Hentschel's foul fly to right field was caught by Janae Langs just before she bounced off the bullpen fence.  Her throw home was late to get Ingratta and was wild as well allowing McGarr to move to second.  After fouling off the first pitch, sophomore shortstop Gabby Williams (South Lyon, Mich.) plated McGarr with a single into right center.

WSU GLIAC TOURNAMENT AND OTHER NOTES:

** - The 15th consecutive win establishes a school record.  The previous mark of 14 straight victories was established in 1983 by the first Wayne State "Tartar" team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

** - The Warriors have won nine consecutive GLIAC Tournament contests since beginning the 2013 tournament with a 5-4 setback to Ashland in eight innings.

** - WSU enters Sunday's championship round with a 13-1 GLIAC Tournament record over the last three seasons (2012-13-14).

** - The Warrior softball squad has qualified for the GLIAC tournament all 30 years it has been sponsored, though a few years (2004 in Sault Ste. Marie and 2010 in Midland, Mich.) weather prevented the tournament from being played.

** - Wayne State won eight league tournament titles in an 11-year period (1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, and 1995), then captured titles nine and 10, the last two years (2012 and 2013).