VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --- Nationally top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan University put together a dominating effort to open Super Regional play in the Division III Softball Championship, highlighted by a perfect game from righthander Hannah Hearl in the Marlins' 10-0 shutout in five innings of Case Western Reserve University at Broyles Field at TowneBank Park on Thursday afternoon.

Virginia Wesleyan (49-0) and CWRU (30-13) return to action on Friday with at least one more game in the best-of-3 super regional format. Game one is set for 1:00 p.m. ET. Should the Spartans become the first team to defeat VWU since the 2025 national title game, a second winner-take-all clash for a spot in Salem would take place roughly 30 minutes following the completion of the first contest.

Hearl faced 15 Spartans and sent nine of them back to the dugout with bats in hands and shaking their heads. The ODAC Pitcher of the Year needed just 61 pitches to improve to 26-0 on the season. She lowered her ERA to 0.51 with 199 strikeouts in 136.0 innings of work.

Virginia Wesleyan's bats were also hot with 10 runs on the home side of the board before 11 outs were recorded. Right fielder Morgan Tucker and catcher Taylor McQueen both had two hits including a double with two RBI while first baseman Haley Sadler registered two knocks including an RBI double.

Tucker, the ODAC Player of the Year, now has 80 runs driven in this season. She set the league record with 76 during her ODAC Rookie of the Year campaign in 2025.

The Marlins have now scored 476 runs this season, far surpassing their ODAC record total of 416 runs last year.