NORTON, Mass. – Behind a 15-hit barrage, the Wheaton College softball team claimed a 13-2, five-inning victory over Husson University on Sunday afternoon at Clark Field to capture the 2015 NCAA Division III Softball Norton Regional Championship.

Wheaton (33-8) will now play the winner of Kean University/William Patterson University in a best two out of three series in the NCAA Super Regional next weekend (May 15-16). The site of the NCAA Super Regional has not been announced at this time.

Husson's season comes to a close at 28-13 overall. The Eagles made their seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend.

Senior starter Emily Berardi picked up her second win of the regional and 16th on the season yielding two runs and four hits over three innings pitched. Classmate Noelle Christmas  closed out the final two frames allowing one hit, and a walk alongside a game-high four strikeouts.

Husson senior Kayla Merrill took the loss (17-6) on five innings pitched, ten hits, eight runs (all earned) and two strikeouts, with the two strikeouts today she tied the school's NCAA record for most strikeouts in one season with 114. K. Merrill will finish her career at Husson with a career batting average of .378 (5th All-Time) on 151 hits (8th All-Time), while also compiling a .441 on base percentage (10th All-Time), slugging .563 (9th All-Time) and a fielding percentage of .955 (26th All-Time). She scored 118 runs (t-5th All-Time), earned 90 RBI (t-6th All-Time), tagged 13 home runs (t-2nd All-Time), and hit 19 doubles (19th All-Time), 8 triples (t-5th All-Time), stole 32 bases (12th All-Time), only getting caught 6 times and recorded 225 total bases (6th All-Time). As a pitcher she posted a career record of 39 wins (2nd All-Time) and 11 loses with 3 saves (1st All-Time), appeared in 68 games (5th All-Time) with 47 game starts (6th All-Time) with 33 completed games (4th All-Time) and 12 shutouts (2nd All-Time) in 332.1 innings (3rd All-Time). She strikeout 244 batters (3rd All-Time) and allowed 96 earned runs for a 2.02 career era, the lowest in program history. K. Merrill held her opponents to a batting avg. of .250 (8th All-Time) and only allowed 0.97 walks per 7 innings which ranks her 2nd all-time.

The Lyons, who were the visiting team in today's contest, posted three runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back.

Berardi pushed across the first run of the game with a fielder's choice RBI, while sophomore Caroline Fairbanks delivered a run-producing single through the left side of the infield to make it 2-0. Junior Kelly Welch capped the scoring in the frame with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Junior Madeline Hatch  jump started the offense with a one out single to left field prior to sophomore Morgan Walsh's hard-hit double to the left center gap that set up the eventual big inning for the Lyons.

Husson cut into its deficit in the bottom of the first when K. Merrill scored on a wild pitch from third base. K. Merrill led off the frame with a double to left center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt to first base by first-year Gabrielle Bryant before coming home.

Later in the inning, sophomore Casey Lopes drilled a two-out double to left center, but Berardi settled in and induced a fly out to center field to keep Wheaton's advantage at two runs (3-1).

Wheaton responded with five runs in the second and third innings, respectively, to wrap up the win.

In the second, Walsh highlighted the frame with a two-run double to left center, while Fairbanks and sophomore both collected one RBI each.

In the third, Hatch launched a two-run home run to deep right center, her fourth round-tripper of the season, to extend the gap on the scoreboard to 10-1 and put the mercy rule in effect.

Welch followed with an RBI double later in the frame, while Bouthillette smacked a two-run double down the left field line for a 13-1 advantage.

Lopes got a run back for Husson in the third with a two-out single up the middle that plated junior Lyndsay Merrill.

Berardi proceeded to induce a ground out (1-3) in the next at-bat to end the threat.

Christmas then cruised through the final two innings for the Lyons recording four strikeouts along the way.

Hatch finished the game going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, one home run and two RBI. Junior Emma Hart  was 2-for-4 with two runs from the leadoff spot, while Walsh went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI from the third spot to highlight the offense.

Lopes notched a 3-for-3 day at the plate with one RBI for the Eagles in the cleanup spot.

Norton Regional Tournament Most Outstanding Players

Madeline Hatch, Wheaton College (Mass.)

Emily Berardi, Wheaton College (Mass.)

Norton Regional All-Tournament Team

Sam Rosetti, Eastern Connecticut State University

Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales University

Kristen Solari, Johnson & Wales University

Casey Lopes, Husson University

Kayla Merrill, Husson University

Lyndsay Merrill, Husson University

Noelle Christmas, Wheaton College (Mass.)

Emma Hart, Wheaton College (Mass.)

Hatch hit .700 (7-for-10) in the tournament to go along with six runs, one double, one home run and two RBI, while Berardi went 2-0 in the circle over ten innings pitched and accumulated 11 strikeouts. Berardi also went 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate with one double, one home run, and six RBI.