ALMA, Mich. –Seventh-inning magic worked again as Illinois Wesleyan scored in its final at-bat to claim a 4-3 win over Alma College in the NCAA Division III regional softball championships in Alma, Mich., on Saturday, May 13.
 
The 33-12 Titans, who defeated Otterbein in the seventh inning Friday, will play at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday in the championship game against a team to be determined by continued play on Saturday. No. 21-ranked Alma's record is now 28-9 and the Scots will play later on Saturday against the winner of the Otterben-DePauw game in an elimination game.
  The Titans scored in the seventh, junior catcher Amanda Lack was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and sophomore centerfielder Jillian Runyon singled. Freshman leftfielder Sydney Alery laid down a sacrifice bunt to send runners to second and third and freshman shortstop Sam Berghoff walked to load the bases with one out.
Lack was thrown out on a ground ball to short but, with two outs, senior third baseman Katie Caulfield hit a ball that Alma pitcher Morgan Stratton didn't handle cleanly and the throw home was late to get Runyon scoring the game-winner.
 
Illinois Wesleyan put three runs on the board in the first inning on consecutive singles by Runyon, Alery and Berghoff. Alery and Caulfield delivered runs batted in and the Titans took advantage of two passed balls to advance runners in the inning.
 
Freshman Brea Walker (15-4) picked up the win in relief, going three hitless, scoreless innings. Starter Mackenzie Marquis pitched four innings and allowed three runs on five hits with four walks.

NOTES: Making its sixth straight appearance, and 16th overall, into the NCAA Division III championships, Illinois Wesleyan has a 34-31 record (.516 winning percentage) in NCAA play, including a trip to the final round in Salem, Va. ... The winner of the four-team regional advances to the best-of-three super regional series, May 19-20, with that winner advancing to the NCAA finals in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 25-30.