LAKEVIEW, Ind. - - The Madonna softball team went from an emotional high to a drastic emotional low as after going up 3-0 in the top of the eighth, Bethel used five runs – including a walk-off grand slam – in the bottom of the inning sent MU into the loser’s bracket at the 2008 NAIA Region VIII Championship in Lakeview, Ind. MU now takes on WHAC rival Indiana Tech for the sixth time this season on Thursday at 10am as the rest of play on Wednesday was washed out.

BETHEL – NAIA Region game eight – MU is the away team after coin flip.

In what turned to be a battle of the region’s two top pitchers – BC’s Brittney Hire and MU’s Jess Irwin (Monroe, Mich.) – neither team could get a run across until the eighth inning.

Madonna had runners on in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings but Hire got out of trouble. Irwin on the other hand was perfect through five innings, giving up a hit in the bottom of the sixth, but worked out of a jam in the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh to send the game into extra frames.

Christina Finch (Albion, Mich.) hit a one-out single and advanced to second on a single from Danielle Richardson (Flint, Mich). After Hire recorded the second out of the inning, freshman left fielder Tara LaMilza (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) stepped in and blasted her second homer of the season to left, giving MU a 3-0 lead.

A walk, a single and a Crusader miscue loaded the bases for Bethel before another miscue allowed a run to come across making it 3-1. Irwin got Kaitlyn Dubois to pop out in the infield before Sarah Rassi delivered the game winning homer over the wall in right, giving Bethel a come-from-behind 5-3 win.

Irwin was again, on her game for most of the day, allowing just four hits while striking out 13. Hire allowed nine hits and struck out 12 for the Pilots. Finch, Richardson and Kathleen Smiley (Wixom, Mich.) each had two hits, while LaMilza accounted for all three RBIs.

MU must now fight its way out of the loser’s bracket, starting with Indiana Tech. MU and IIT square off for the sixth time this season and for the second time in the post season. The two sides get the day started with a 10am first pitch at Newton Park. The winner will take on Bethel at noon and must beat the Pilots twice to advance to the NAIA National Championship.