SALEM, Va. - Three down, one to go.
Junior All-American Camille Gaito tossed her third consecutive complete game and freshman catcher Charly Swanberg went 2-for-3 with a run scored to lift No. 16 UC San Diego to a heart-pounding 2-1 victory over Saginaw Valley State in the Bracket 1 final of the NCAA Division II Softball Championship on Sunday afternoon at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.
UCSD saw its 2-0 lead cut in half in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Gaito worked her way out of trouble with three strikeouts in the frame, sending the Tritons to the program's first NCAA Championship game.
UC San Diego (44-13) will face No. 1 Alabama-Huntsville for the national title on Monday at 9:00 a.m. PST. The Chargers defeated No. 5 Midwestern State 2-0 in the Bracket 2 final on Sunday.
"That was just a huge win," head coach Patti Gerckens said after guiding the Tritons to their eighth consecutive victory. "Saginaw is really a tough team and really it was just great to pull it out. We knew it was going to be a close game and they didn't disappoint us, but it's great to get the W."
The Tritons, who remain unbeaten in NCAA Tournament play, got another tremendous effort from their ace in circle, while a Swanberg and fellow rookie Esther Strom combined to deliver what proved to be the decisive run in the sixth inning.
Gaito, who has easily established herself as the preeminent pitcher in Salem, tossed another gem, limiting SVSU (42-18) to just one run -- a solo homer by Jill Peterson to lead off the seventh inning -- on four hits in the game. She finished with a career-high-tying 12 strikeouts, out-dueling the Cardinals' Jade Fulton in a matchup of two of the nations' top arms.
"We had watched [Saginaw Valley], but for the most part, I just took my day off [Saturday] to refocus and my plan today was to really just hit the corners," Gaito said following her third straight win in Salem. "That proved to be harder to do when I wasn't getting the inside as much, but I stuck with things and tried to throw my pitches."
Gaito's pitches have propelled the Tritons to the verge of a national championship, with the right-hander allowing a total of three runs with 23 strikeouts in three starts at the College World Series. She has been the winning pitcher in all eight of UCSD's games in the NCAA Tournament and gone the distance in each of them. Her record now stands at 34-4 on the season.
With Gaito dealing, UCSD took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when senior second baseman Jennifer De Fazio launched an 0-2 offering from Fulton over the fence in left field. It was De Fazio's second homerun of the season and just the 11th overall for the Tritons.
"I was just looking to get a single and get on base and get something started," De Fazio said of the at-bat. "I wasn't trying to drive the ball over the fence. I had two strikes on me at the point and I was looking to hit it to right center, but she threw me a high inside pitch and I hit it out."
The one-run lead held until the sixth, when the Tritons doubled their advantage. With one out, Swanberg singled to center field then advanced to second on a productive groundout from designated player Tess Granath. The next batter was Strom, who lined a double off the wall in center field, plating Swanberg for the 2-0 cushion and the eventual winning run.
"I just wanted to play for my team," Swanberg said after coming up big in her first start of the finals. "I gave it basically everything I had. This is the time to lay it on the field."
Saginaw Valley did not roll over, however, rallying to within a run in the bottom of the seventh. Peterson homered to lead off the inning and Monica Gathright drew a one-out walk after Marcy Medina struck out. Gaito would fan the next batter, Kailah Happ, for the second out, but proceeded to hit pinch hitter Lindsay Hayward to put the winning run on first base.
Despite the trouble, Gaito was undeterred, coming right back to strike out Jessica McKeith looking on a full count to end the game and send UCSD into Sunday's title bout.
"I'm just so proud of my girls," Gerckens continued. "They're playing hard and they're playing tough. People are coming up big that haven't in a while and our defense is holding tight. We just have to play our game [tomorrow]. That's what we've been focusing on all year long and we've just got to do it one more time."
Fulton (31-11) pitched admirably in a losing effort for SVSU, scattering nine hits over seven innings with nine strikeouts. She did not walk a batter.
The UCSD-UAH clash will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports on Monday. A win would give UC San Diego its first national title in any sport since the women's soccer team won in 2001.
