Luther knocked off the Central College softball team Saturday in the Iowa Conference tournament semifinals 9-1 in six innings in a game heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The Dutch struck first when senior catcher Emily Walton slugged her second home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning, but Luther answered right back with a pair of runs in the top of the third.

The game then swung over the next six outs. Central loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one out, but came up empty, and Luther did the same in the top of the fourth, with Ashley Burrows connecting on a grand slam.

The lack of clutch hits has been a bit of an achilles heel for coach George Wares’ club, and he says that it reared its head again on Saturday.

“If we get a base hit there and go up 3-2 or 4-2, it changes everything. We play more relaxed and they play different, and that’s always what it comes down to. And then they took a pitch and took it deep and we weren’t able to do that.”

Central’s regular season wraps up with a 27-10 record. Luther then knocked off Coe, 4-0, to win the Iowa Conference tournament championship and league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

All three teams were named to the 62-team field during the selection show this afternoon. The Dutch will head to a regional in St. Paul, Minnesota hosted by the University of St. Thomas. Action starts on Thursday afternoon when Central plays Wisconsin-Oshkosh.