Maddison Woodruff has pitched all season with a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder, but the two-time Iowa Conference Pitcher of the Year was all smiles Friday afternoon.

Woodruff tossed a two-hit shutout as No. 11 Coe blanked St. Scholastica, 3-0, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III regional softball tournament at Clark Field.

Coe (36-8) will face No. 22 Augustana, Ill. (34-11) in the winners bracket final Saturday at 11 a.m. in the double-elimination tournament.

Woodruff shared top billing Friday with Marcie Crawford, who celebrated her 21st birthday with a clutch pinch-hit single to help the Kohawks snap a scoreless ballgame and grab a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.

"It feels really awesome," said Crawford, clutching two containers of birthday brownies from her mother. "We've played on my birthday the past three years and this is the first time we've won on my birthday. So I'm pretty excited about it."

Woodruff was diagnosed with a torn labrum in late February, right before the Kohawks were scheduled to leave for their spring trip to Florida. Not wanting to have surgery and miss her senior year, she elected to have a cortisone shot where they stick a long needle in the affected area to ease the pain.

"They put it in the back, so I don't have to look," she said. "You can feel everything. It's not pleasant."

The cortisone began to wear off near the end of the regular season, so Woodruff went back for a second dose of the big needle. "I got another one, so I'm feeling pretty good now," she maintained after raising her record to 21-2.

Coe Coach Bob Timmons told Crawford, a junior from Mahomet, Ill., to be ready to pinch-hit when the scoreless contest reached the middle innings.

It's a role she's played much of the season and has come to embrace.

"He told me to get a bat the inning before," she related. "He always tells me, 'Make sure I'm ready to go.' Whenever he calls on me I'm like, 'OK, let's do this.'"

There were two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Danielle Schlotterbeck singled to left field. Kyleigh Munkel went into run for Schlotterbeck and Crawford came up to bat for Taylor Riedl.

Crawford singled to right field, a looper that got over the head of the second baseman. Munkel was running with two outs, but hesitated slightly after rounding second base before heading for third.

The throw from the right fielder sailed over the third baseman's head and Munkel raced home with the first run of the game.

The Kohawks got a scare in the top of the sixth inning when Kara Warren belted a long drive to deep center field with a runner on first base and two outs, but Coe center fielder Brianna Gardner raced back and made a terrific catch as she banged into the outfield fence to preserve the 1-0 lead.

"An amazing play," said Woodruff.

An extra-base hit would have tied the game. And if not for a brisk wind blowing toward left field, the ball might have carried for a two-run homer.

"I thought the ball was gone," said Timmons. "I thought it was out of the ballpark. I was very happy with my center fielder. She went and got it."

Coe added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Erin Lang walked and was bunted to second base by Emily Grell. Mallory McArtor bunted for a base hit, made a wide turn at first base and deliberately got into a pickle. St. Scholastica (27-11) succeeded in tagging McArtor, but Lang scooted home without a throw.

"We work on that," said Timmons.

Nicole Gentile singled, stole second base and scored on a single by Abby Flannagan to make it 3-0.

Woodruff, a senior from Emmetsburg, pitched a perfect seventh inning to end the game. She finished with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Coe defeated Augustana twice during the regular season at a tournament in St. Louis, 5-3 and 3-2 in eight innings.

Timmons said Arran Weeces, his other all-star pitcher, will be the likely starter against Augustana, but Woodruff promised she'll be ready to pitch as well, even if her right shoulder is a little sore.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes."