CHICAGO (5/10/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy softball team is heading to the championship as the Titans defeated NKU, 4-1, in an elimination game to reach their first Horizon League Championship since 1998.

The second-seeded Titans will meet top-seeded UIC on Saturday at 1 p.m. (EST) as the red, white and blue will have to win two games against the Flames to reach their first-ever NCAA Tournament. UIC - which beat the Titans 8-0 in the semifinals earlier in the day - will just have to earn one win to get the automatic bid.

The games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with game two starting 30 minutes after game one if the Titans can get the win in game one. 

The Titans won the first three conference championships in Horizon League history - then known as the MCC - in 1987, 1988 and 1989 and also claimed the title in 1992. Detroit Mercy last made the finals in 1998, which was the deepest the team has been in the tournament outside their semifinals appearance in 2017.

UIC 8  - Detroit Mercy 0
The day didn't start great for the Titans as the host and top-seeded UIC Flames scored a run in each of the first four frames and took the semifinals game by the score of 8-0.

The Titans had two hits in the game but got behind 1-0 after one and 3-0 after two and just could not muster any offense in the contest, which sent them to the elimination bracket to face fourth-seeded NKU

Detroit Mercy 4  - NKU 1
Junior Liz Murphy pitched a gem scattering five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks over seven innings and the Titans jumped on NKU with three runs in the first en route to the 4-1 win, sending them to the title game.

Detroit Mercy started its offense right away as freshman McKenna Tanguay reached on an error and senior Jordan Manno was hit by the pitch. With one out, sophomore Ellie Boteler ripped an RBI double to left center to give the Titans a 1-0 lead. Junior Leena Mortensen followed with a two-run double to left center and the Titans had a 3-0 lead after one.

The Titans added an insurance run in the fifth as Detroit Mercy started the inning with four-straight singles with senior Courtney Gilbert driving in freshman Emily Wagenbrenner for the 4-0 advantage.

Murphy ran into trouble in the sixth as the Norse loaded the bases with one out and then scored on an error. With the bases loaded and the score 4-1, Murphy was able to induce two grounders for outs, stopping NKU's rally.

In the seventh, she didn't even allow NKU to get on the bases retiring the side and sending the Titans to battle UIC.