Last Saturday Lourdes needed to sweep a doubleheader against Aquinas to qualify for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament. Just six days later, on Friday, the Gray Wolves had earned a berth in the tournament title game along with an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
 
The Gray Wolves won three elimination games on Friday at Pacesetter Park, defeating Cornerstone 2-1, Siena Heights 12-6, and Michigan-Dearborn 5-3 as the tournament's eighth seed, and will face regular season champion Davenport on Monday for the title.
 
Lourdes also is assured of one of the league's two automatic bids to the Opening Round, which will take place May 16-18 at 10 campus sites.
 
"I am so proud of this team," head coach Jo Ann Gordon said.  "We battled all day, and for this first group of four-year seniors I can't think of a better way to close their careers."
 
The day started with a pitcher's duel against Cornerstone (14-26).  Marissa Kostick (Saint Charles, Mich./Saint Charles H.S.) gave up a first inning run before 15 batters in a row, and 20 of the final 21 she faced.
 
Hillary West (Walbridge, Ohio/Lake H.S.) provided the only offense Lourdes would need against Brooke Leonard, delivering a two-run double to left-center in the second, scoring Erica Marvaso (Huron Township, Mich./Woodhaven H.S.) and Olivia Stanton (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland H.S.).
 
Kostick struck out three in the win (9-8), allowing just three hits.  Leonard surrendered just five hits in the complete game loss (7-10).
 
Lourdes bats started quickly in game two against Siena Heights (28-24), as the Gray Wolves plated four runs on five hits in the opening inning.  The Saints countered with four runs of their own in the top of the second, all unearned, to tie the game.
 
Run-scoring singles by Bre Megyesi (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne H.S.) and Megan Mosiniak (Swanton, Ohio/Evergreen H.S.) put Lourdes back on top 6-4 in the second.
 
The Saints tied the game in the fifth, but Lourdes sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth, scoring six times to earn the win.  Hayley Roberts (Brownstown, Mich./Woodhaven H.S.) and Marvaso led off the inning with back-to-back doubles and Stanton followed with a RBI single to make it 8-6.  West added a RBI hit and Taylor Genzman (Saint Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) added a RBI groundout before a bases loaded walk to Mosiniak and a groundout by Roberts gave Lourdes a 12-6 advantage.
 
Kostick finished off her second complete game win (10-8) of the day, allowing just two earned runs and seven hits, while striking out five.
 
Kelsie Abbott suffered the loss (9-8), giving up five runs and nine hits in relief.
 
Lourdes tallied 17 hits against the Saints, including three each by Mosiniak, Marvaso, and Stanton.
 
In the loser's bracket championship against Michigan-Dearborn (31-18), with the national tournament berth on the line to the winner, Lourdes plated a pair of runs in the top of the first as Roberts delivered a two-run double.  The Wolverines answered with a two-run double of their own in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
 
Megyesi delivered a two-run double to right-center in the second and Mosiniak added a RBI groundout to provide all of the offense needed for the Gray Wolves.
 
Brooke Gallaher (Oregon, Ohio/Clay H.S.) went the distance, allowing just a single run in the fourth which closed the gap to 5-3, earning the win (5-13).  She scattered nine hits and fanned two.
 
Gina Verduzco suffered the loss (13-6), allowing five runs and six hits in 1.1 innings of work.
 
Megyesi led Lourdes with three hits in the finale.
 
Lourdes (18-27) will face Davenport at 2 p.m. on Monday at Pacesetter Park.  The Gray Wolves must beat the Panthers twice to capture the title while Davenport needs just one win.