ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 7 UIndy softball team (46-8) had its postseason run come to an end Saturday at the 2021 NCAA DII Midwest Regional. In a matchup of the top two teams in the region all season long, the Greyhounds defeated 13th-ranked Grand Valley State, 4-3, to open the day and force a deciding second game, but the Lakers ultimately powered their way past the Hounds, 5-0, and into the DII World Series.
 
INS & OUTS
With their backs against the wall and no guarantee of a second game, the Hounds shook off an early Grand Valley run in game one with a four-spot in the bottom of the second inning. All four runs scored with two outs, with Sydnie Foster (walk) and Emily O'Connor (single) notching RBIs.
 
Senior pitcher and longtime ace Hallie Waters (21-3) kept the Lakers at arm's length from that point. She later gave up a two-run homer in the sixth but put up zeros when it counted on the way to her second career NCAA Tournament win.
 
After a 45-minute break in between games, both coaches gave the ball back to their respective game-one starter. But this time it was GVSU's No. 1, Hannah Beatus, who would prevail. After giving up her first runs of the week earlier in the day, the all-region performer crafted a shutout in the winner-take-all contest.
 
Offensively, it was a two-out, three-run homer from GLIAC Player of the Year Nikoma Holman in the third inning that proved the biggest blow of the game. The bases were clear with two outs but the Lakers managed back-to-back singles before Holman cleaned things up.
 
Waters took the loss in game two, finishing her final season with a record of 21-4. She pitched a total of 9 2/3 innings on the day before freshman Kenzee Smith tossed the final 3 1/3.
 
INSIDE THE BOX
- UIndy's 46 wins this spring are good for the sixth-highest total in program history while its .852 winning percentage is good for third best.
- The Greyhounds' senior class compiled a 148-50 (.747) record over the last four years. Despite the cancellation of the 2020 season, the group led the program to three NCAA appearances in their time on campus, as well as two GLVC regular season titles and the 2021 GLVC Tournament crown.
-  Saturday marked a rematch of the 2019 Super Regional. UIndy (13) and Grand Valley (10) own the two longest postseason-appearance streaks in the Midwest and have faced off in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments.