DECATUR, Il. - The Calvin softball team opened NCAA III Tournament competition with a 9-6 win over Belhaven on a toasty afternoon at Millikin University.

With the win, Calvin (29-8) advances to the winner's bracket final Friday night where it will face top-ranked DePauw University.

In its victory over Belhaven (31-11), Calvin jumped out to a 9-0 lead and threatened to end the game in five innings by way of the run rule. The Blazers rallied for four runs with two outs in the top of the fifth inning and continued to peck away at the Calvin lead, scoring two more in the sixth but the Knights were able to shut Belhaven down from there to claim the win.

Calvin scored five runs in the second and four in the third to account for all of its scoring. Belhaven outhit Calvin 7-6 but the Knights reaped the benefits of eight walks issued by the Blazer pitching staff as well as a pair of Belhaven errors. Four of Calvin's runs were unearned.

Belhaven threatened to take the lead early, loading the bases in the top of the second. With two outs, Belhaven's Abby Trahan looped a ball into right field that appeared to be a base hit that would score two runs. Calvin junior Hannah Biddlecome (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern HS) quickly grabbed the ball on a hop however and gunned a throw to first to get Trahan by a step to end the inning and keep the Blazers off the scoreboard.

Fueled by the defensive play, Calvin struck back. With one out, freshman Grace Glass (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central HS) reached base on an infield single. Senior Kayla Groen (Frankfort, Il./Lincoln-Way East HS) walked and both runners later came around to score on back-to-back wild pitches.

Later in the inning, Biddlecome looped a single to center with two outs that plated freshman Sydney Duong (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian HS) and senior Amber Stanilius (Rockford, Mich./Sparta HS). Senior Grace Stock (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg HS) followed with a double off the centerfield wall that scored Biddlecome for a 5-0 Calvin lead.

In the third, Glass and Groen reached base with one out. Glass later scored on a passed ball. Groen then scored on a two-out RBI single by Biddlecome. Stock followed with a two-out RBI single that brought home Stanilius. The run-scoring single for Stock brought her season RBI total to 48, matching a Calvin single-season record set by Lydia Gildea in 2016 - her predecessor at catcher.

Borst tossed shutout ball through four innings and was one out away from a shutout victory in the fifth but Belhaven scored a run on a wild pitch and quickly added two more on a two-out double to left-center. Belhaven added a fourth run in the inning on a wild pitch.

Senior Bri Leegwater came on in relief with two outs and was able to get the Knights out of the inning. Leegwater gave up two runs in the sixth but retired the Blazers in order in the seventh to complete the victory.

Borst picked up the win to bump her season record to 10-1 and her career record to 42-10. She is fifth on the Calvin career list for pitching victories. Borst struck out five and walked two in 4.2 innings of work. Leegwater had a walk and a strikeout in 2.1 innings of relief.

Biddlecome was 2-for-3 at the plate with 3 RBI's and a run scored. Stock had two hits and two RBI's. Groen, Stanilius and junior Jessica Bongiorno (Glendale Heights, Il./Glenbard West HS) all had one stolen base.

Calvin is now 25-26 all-time in NCAA III Tournament play.