DECORAH, IOWA – It was almost like déjà vu. One week after facing the University of St. Thomas in Game 3 of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs, the St. Catherine University softball team was in the exact same position in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional Semifinal against Luther College. After falling to the Norse 6-4 in the opening game, the Wildcats faced elimination, this time against Simpson College. Thanks to an offensive surge, St. Kate's advanced to the Regional Final in its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Before advancing to the Championship Round, the Wildcats first had to get past top-seeded Luther College. The Norse were not going to be an easy team to beat, and they proved that right away in the first inning. After sending St. Kate's top three hitters down in order in the top of the first inning, the No. 7 ranked team in the country managed to score one run on Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) to take a quick 1-0 lead over the Wildcats after the first inning.

St. Kate's tried to tie the game in the very next inning. Flugstad led off the inning with a walk to give the Wildcats their first base runner of the ball game. Head coach Colleen Powers opted to put the speedy Megan Miller (Green Isle, Minn. / Norwood Young America) in at first, and she advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by first baseman Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo). Sammie Galvez (Gilbert, Ariz. / Williams Field) was then issued the second walk of the inning, giving St. Kate's runners on first and second with just one out.

The Wildcats were unable to score as Anna Hinderaker (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) and Claire Woebke (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) both struck out to end the inning. However, Flugstad sent Luther's batters down in order, bringing St. Kate's top hitters to the plate in the top of the second. Megan Lindenfelser (Nowthen, Minn. / Jefferson) hit a two out, two run home run, scoring Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) and giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead in the second.

Unfortunately, that was the first and last time St. Kate's would have the lead in the first game. Luther would go on to score five unanswered runs to take a 6-2 lead into the seventh inning. The Wildcats mounted a comeback when Flugstad hit a leadoff single in the top of the seventh. Sis reached on an error and Galvez hit an RBI single to whittle the Norse lead down to 6-4. The Wildcats were unable to make up the rest of the deficit, losing 6-4 and falling into the loser's bracket.

St. Kate's faced a familiar foe in the elimination game, as Simpson College beat UW-Superior 5-0 to advance to Game 5 of the Regional. Just like in the first game of the day, the Wildcats found themselves in a 1-0 hole after the Storm's Abbi VanVleet hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second.

Robyn Rohr (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) answered for St. Kate's in the top of the third inning. With two outs and no body on, the senior shortstop sent a pitch down the middle over the tree line in center field to put the Wildcats on the board and tie the game at 1-1.

After making that initial mistake in the second, Flugstad was flawless on the mound against Simpson. She gave up just one Storm hit in the third and fourth inning to make sure St. Kate's was the next team to score. In the fifth inning, the Wildcats supported their pitcher in a big way, as they scored five runs with two outs in the inning. Hineraker jump started the offensive surge when she was issued one of three walks in the inning to reach first with one out. She was bunted to second by Donielle Kurvers (Monticello, Minn. / Monticello) and scored on a single up the middle by Macziewski after Rohr was walked.

The next three batters all reached base on balls. Lindenfelser was walked, Flugstad was hit by a pitch, and Sis was walked to bring two more runs across the plate. Then Glavez hit a two out double down the left field line to give St. Kate's a 6-1 lead.

Simpson scored one in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings to cut the Wildcats lead to 6-3, but St. Kate's had an answer in the top of the seventh. The Wildcats scored
two extra insurance runs and Flugstad sent the Storm down in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 8-3 victory.

With the win against Simpson, St. Kate's advanced to play in the Regional Final against Luther. The Wildcats will have to win two straight games against the Norse to win the Regional round and advance to the Super Regional in a yet to be determined place. First pitch of the first game will be at 12 p.m. in Decorah, Iowa.