Decima, Tina Mangola lead No. 4 Softball past Trine in 9 innings in NCAA Tournament opener.

Liz Decima

By Tim Glon

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GREENCASTLE, Ind. -- Liz Decima singled home Mandi Fought with two-out in the top of the ninth inning to lift the top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Ohio Northern past fourth-seeded Trine (Ind.) in Game 4 of the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament Thursday afternoon at DePauw Softball Field.

The Polar Bears (36-3) will face fifth-seeded Defiance in the winner's bracket game at 2 pm.

The Thunder are eliminated with a 29-12 record.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Lisa Light had a 1-out, pinch-hit single to start the winning rally.

Fought followed with a single to right field, but Graham came up throwing and threw out Cash, who re-entered the game as a pinch-runner, out at third for the second out.

Fought advanced to second base on the throw and scored just ahead of the throw on Decima's single to center.

Cash struck out 11 and improved to 25-1 on the season whith the complete-game victory.

Northern took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Mandi Fought led off with a double to left and ONU's all-time career home run leader, Tina Mangola, drilled a two-run home run to center field.

The dinger was her fourth of the season and the 26th of her career.

But Trine answered in the top of the third when its all-time hits leader, Kara Graham, drilled a 3-run shot to right field to put the Thunder up 3-2. Graham now leads TU with 10 home runs on the season.

Cash led off the bottom of the fifth with a nifty bunt single down the third base line, went to second on a ground ball by Fought and scored on a single up the middle by Decima, who was the 2009 OAC Player of the Year, to tie the game at 3-3.

Trine threatened to break the tie in the top of the sixth when Jessica Hutchison reached second on a fielding and a throwing error by ONU's Cassie Gaye  to start the frame.

Claire Will then sacrificed Hutchinson to third with one out.

But Cash struck out Sara Hivley looking and Sallie Richardson grounded to Katie Cretin at first base to end the threat.

Northern also threatened in the home half of the sixth, when Jackie Mangola drilled a 2-out double to left and Cretin followed with an infield single to third.

But TU's Lauren Hudson got Cash to ground out to first base to end the inning and keep the score knotted at 3.

I'm very pleased at how we battled and finished strong," ONU head coach Annette Shepherd said. "Every team that gates to the NCAA Tournament is solid and Trine played well. We lost our composure early, but played well late. This was a big win for us."