The Alma Softball team began the 2009 MIAA Tournament on Friday at Trine University, and after two wins, they are in position to control their own destiny. They will play at 2:00 p.m. for the MIAA Championship on Saturday afternoon. If the Scots were to lose the first game, a final game at 4:30 p.m. would determine the Champion.

The Scots will play the winner of Adrian and Trine for the right to represent the league in the NCAA playoffs. Since Alma is undefeated thus far, whoever comes out of the play-in game must beat the Scots twice for the Championship and the automatic qualifier from the MIAA.

In the first game, Alma defeated #24 ranked Adrian by a score of 5-3, as 3B Brittany Fales went three for three and knocked in four runs. 2B Kasey Miller added two hits and P Tara Leddy went the distance for the win, giving up just three earned runs and striking out nine Knights.

Alma led 2-0 after one inning, but Adrian fought back to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the third inning. The Scots methodically took care of business from there and notched a single run in the fifth and two more in the sixth for the two-run advantage. LF Kelsey Rightenburg, SS Houston Verbeck and 1B Emily Ross each had a hit in the win for the Scots.

In a thrilling game two, the Scots got the best of the host and #1 seed Trine Thunder by a score of 5-4, a contest in doubt to the end. After a coin flip determined that Alma would be the home team on the scoreboard, the Thunder took a 1-0 lead on a homerun by Katey Schiering.

The Scots struck back with two runs in the bottom of the third as CF Kelly Koenigsknecht doubled, giving Alma a 2-1 advantage. Trine pecked away for a single run in each of the next three innings, as Scots P Brittany Grys found ways to pitch her way out of trouble.

Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Trine led 4-2 and had things going their way. However, 2B Kasey Miller got the Scots going with a dribbler single down the first base line with no outs. She advanced on a passed ball and SS Houston Verbeck reached on an infield hit to give Alma runners on first and second. Freshman 1B Emily Ross then followed with a rocket to right center that landed as a three-run homer and a 5-4 Scots lead heading into the final frame.

Grys faced a daunting task of Trine's best three hitters in the seventh but she coaxed three easy grounders out of them and Alma walked away with the hard-fought one-run victory. The Scots improved to 26-11 on the 2009 season. Another notable for the Scots was C Trista Geier, who had a stong game behind the plate and had two hits.