Lisle, Ill. – Having claimed the northern division one week prior, MSOE softball hit the diamond again but with a bigger prize on the line. The Raiders took on Benedictine in game one of the NACC Championship Series with the winner getting an automatic qualification into the NCAA tournament. The Red & White put themselves in the best possible position heading into championship Saturday with a 3-0 road win over the Eagles.

RESULTS
No. 2 seed (North) MSOE RAIDERS - 3
No. 2 seed (South) Benedictine – 0  

HOW IT HAPPENED
(RV) MSOE (32-7, 15-5 NACC North) came into game one of the NACC Championship series as the No. 2 seed representing the north division while Benedictine (33-13, 17-3 NACC South) was doing the same thing for the south. However, in a three-game series seeding does not matter. The only thing that does matter is being the first to two wins and the Raiders are already halfway there. The Red & White scored all three of their runs in the second inning. After Celine Pacheco walked, Caitlyn Spreitzer hit a two-out double to left field to plate the freshman. Jocelyn Clodi, the next batter that stepped into the box, slapped a single through the left side to score another run right before Delany Martino would notch the Raiders second double of the inning to score Clodi. Lorrin Pondo took it from there. The senior threw yet another complete game, striking out eight and allowing just four hits as MSOE takes the first contest of the series away from the home team.

MSOE STAT TRACKER – TWO GAME TOTALS
Hits – Caitlyn Spreitzer (2)
Runs Scored – Three with one
RBIs – Three with one
Stolen Bases – None
Strikeouts – Lorrin Pondo (8)

WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders need just one more win to become NACC champions and they will get two chances at home to do so. Game two of the series will take place at the MSOE Athletic Field and has a start time of Noon. If game three is needed, it will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Saturday's first contest.

For up-to-the-minute MSOE Raiders news, visit us at www.go-raiders.com. You can also follow the Red & White on Twitter @MSOE_Raiders and @msoe_raiders on Instagram.