SIOUX CITY, Iowa—Clutch homers and
Cat Maldonado are starting to go hand in hand.
The junior broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run shot over the center field wall to give Southeastern a 4-1 win over two-time defending national champion Auburn Montgomery in the NAIA Softball World Series.
The Fire now advance to the final game of the winners' bracket to take on St. Xavier University.
Southeastern (44-14) had numerous chances, getting base runners in every inning, and stranding six in the first three innings.
Trailing 1-0 after a two-out RBI single in the third, the Fire tied it on an RBI groundout in the fifth, taking advantage of one of the Warhawks' three errors in the game.
With a runner on,
Anna Martin was hit by a pitch to set the stage for Maldonado.
Senior
Bri Girardin had two of SEU's seven hits.
Lindsie Scholwinski earned the win, tossing all seven innings. The junior allowed one run on seven hits and struck out five hitters.
The Fire take on the No.4 Seed St. Xavier at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday.
