Saturday, May 4, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – The team picked to finish last by GNAC coaches before the season started is now headed to the NCAA Division II Championships.

Concordia picked up the conference’s automatic berth the NCAA tournament Saturday after a pair of exciting games with regular-season champion and No. 1 seeded Central Washington in the GNAC Softball Championships at Porter Park.

After losing the first game of the day 1-0 and going 11 innings without a run, the Cavaliers turned three Wildcats’ errors into a five-run fifth inning to win the second game 5-4 to win the GNAC championship.

Junior Hannah Self was named the tournament’s most valuable player after she batted 6 for 12 in the Cavalier’s four games, going 6 for 12 with three runs, five RBI, two triples and a home run. She hit the triple that sparked the two-out fifth inning rally in the second game.

Central Washington sophomore Lexie Strasser in the circle to keep the Wildcats in contention to the very end. She earned the win in game one by allowing three hits and two walks while striking out. In taking the loss in the second game, Strasser allowed five unearned runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Strasser threw 256 pitches on the day and was the pitcher for all but four of the Wildcats’ innings in the tournament.

Concordia senior pitcher Mckenzie Smith was equally impressive, earning the second game win by allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits with a walk in six innings of work. For the tournament, Smith allowed just the three runs on seven hits in 13 innings.

With the loss, Central Washington (33-18) will wait for the NCAA selection show on Monday morning at 7 a.m. (Pacific) to see if they will receive an at-large bid into the tournament field.

GAME 1: Central Washington 1, Concordia 0
Both starting pitchers continued the trend of dominant play in the circle that has been the hallmark of the tournament. Strasser allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out six to improve to 17-10 overall and win her third game of the Championships. Concordia junior Sally Bowles, meanwhile, allowed just three hits and struck out one in the loss.

Bowles retired the nine of the first 10 batters of the game before junior Katie Kastning led off the fourth with single to center field. Senior Julia Reuble singles two batters later and both stole bases to advance to second and third. Kastning was put out at home on a fielder’s choice, but pinch-runner Theresa Moyle scored when she avoided a run-down play thanks to a Concordia throwing error. Bowles allowed just one more hit the rest of the game.

Concordia saw scoring chances in both the first and sixth go unrealized. In the first, senior Mckenzie Smith drew a one-out walk and junior Hannah Self hammered a two-out single, but sophomore Marisa Stockton struck out to end the inning. Junior Macy Besuyen led off the sixth with an infield single and Smith drew a walk before Strasser retired the next three batters to end the threat.

Kastning went 2 for 3 for the Wildcats, the only player of the game with more than one hit.

GAME 2: Concordia 5, Central Washington 4
Central Washington wasted no time taking the game two lead. Junior Savannah Egbert reached second base on a pair of Concordia errors and scored two batters later on a single by sophomore Maddy Zerr.

Kastning doubled the Wildcats’ lead with her third home run of the season and only the second hit during the Championships, a shot that just stayed fair on the right field line to open the third inning.

Concordia put runners on in each of the first five innings, but could not get anyone home. The Cavaliers’ best chance came in the second when Stockton walked, junior Allie Hancock doubled and junior Chelsea Sligh walked to load the bases. The rally came to a halt when junior Linda Gherir fouled out.

That scoreless drought ended with an incredible two-out rally that began when junior Karley Yoshioka reached on an error. Self followed up with her triple to right center field to score Yoshioka. Stockton tied the game when her single to right scored Self. Two batters and an error later, senior Courtney Somers gave the Cavaliers the lead for good on a two-run double that missed being a home run by inches. Sligh added what proved a critical insurance run when her single scored pinch-runner Elena Cook for the 5-2 advantage.

Central Washington was not done, rallying in the seventh inning to make a bid for the win. Senior Bethany Balucan and pinch-hitter Keegan Wise drew walks to lead off the frame and Balucan scored on a double by Egbert. Kastning made it a one-run game with a sacrifice fly that scored Wise before Zerr hit into a long fly-ball to right that ended it.