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The Bearcats won the final three games of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, capturing the PAC title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
 
In game one, Celia Knappenberger threw a shutout, as the Bearcats defeated Westminster College by a score of 4-0 to advance to the championship round.  
 
Knappenberger turned right around and threw six scoreless innings in game two, as SVC defeated Thiel, 7-0, to force a deciding game, and the Bearcats then battled back and forth with Thiel before pulling away to a 7-4 win, earning the championship.
 
The first game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when pinch-hitter Abbey Ginter drew a leadoff walk.  Sydney Gurneal pinch ran, then moved to second when Johnna Karas was hit by a pitch. Kelsey Tobin followed with a ground ball that was misplayed in the infield, leaving the bases loaded.  Two batters later, Riley Assalone hit a ground ball to short, and the throw to the plate was not in time, as Gurneal beat the throw to put the Bearcats on the board.
 
Alona Sleith then followed with a one-out sacrifice fly, scoring Karas to make the score 2-0.  Next, Shae Robson beat out an infield single that plated Tobin, giving the Bearcats a three-run lead.
 
An inning later, Kaylee Ludwick singled, and pinch-runner Megan Christner stole second, then moved to third on a groundout by Gurneal.  An infield single by Tobin drove home Christner, putting SVC in front 4-0.
 
The Titans threatened in the top of the 7th, loading the bases with two outs, but a fly ball to Tobin ended the game and preserved the shutout for Knappenberger.  Overall, Knappenberger scattered 5 hits, walked two and struck out 5.
 
In the second game of the day, Kelsey Tobin doubled to the fence in left center field in the bottom of the first, and Lauren Miller followed with a single that moved Tobin to third.  Alonna Sleith drew a walk to load the bases, and a wild pitch scored Tobin to make it a 1-0 game.  Robson then tripled down the left field line, bringing home two more runs to give SVC an early 3-0 advantage.
 
In the fifth, Robson came up with another big hit, a 2-run double that gave the Bearcats a 5-0 lead.
 
The Bearcats added two more runs in the sixth, including one on a double by Miller.  
 
Knappenberger gave up five hits over six innings, walking one and striking out three.  Assalone pitched one inning of scoreless relief to end the game.

In the final game, Thiel started strong with a walk and a double, putting runners at second and third with just one out in the top of the first off SVC starter Riley Assalone.  A single to left by Bailey Hoover scored a run, giving the Tomcats the early lead.  A wild pitch then brought in another run, making it 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the second, Assalone singled to lead off, then moved to second on a wild pitch. She then scored on a Robson single, that was misplayed and allowed Robson to advance to third.  Robson then scored when Kelly Flaherty reached on a fielder's choice.  After an error on a ball hit by Ludwick put runners at first and second, Karas singled home the go-ahead run, making it 3-2 in favor of the Bearcats.

Back-to-back doubles to left center by the Tomcats in the top of the fourth tied the game, 3-3, but SVC catcher Ludwick picked off a runner at second base to help keep a run off the board, but a one-out triple then kept the inning alive.  A single by Leah Woytek then brought in the runner to give Thiel a 4-3 lead.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Flaherty walked to lead off.  Ludwick then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but the ball was misplayed and the error put runners at first and second with no outs.  Gurneal then singled to left to load the bases, but a ground ball to second resulted in a force out at the plate, keeping it a one-run game, but not for long.  Tobin hit a solid single up the middle, bringing home two runs, to give SVC a 5-4 lead, and a wild pitch allowed another run to score, giving SVC a two-run edge.
 
Karas then singled home Tobin, making the score 7-4 in favor of the Bearcats.
 
Knappenberger came on in relief of Assalone, working the final three innings for a save.  On the day, she worked a total of 16 scoreless innings, and was named Tournament MVP.  Assalone, Miller and Robson were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
This is the Bearcats' second PAC Softball title, following a championship year in 2016.
 
The team now awaits word from the NCAA on the date, time and location of their first round matchup.