TROUTVILLE, Va. – Campbellsville University played in both the longest and shortest games of the 2013 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Softball Championships, packing 17 innings of work into two games Thursday at Botetourt Sports Complex's Ken Myers Field 3.
After winning a three-hour, 12-inning pitching battle over Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 2-1, to start the day, the Lady Tigers were run-ruled by top-seed Shorter University, 9-0, in five innings.
CU will return to action Friday morning at 10 a.m. EDT against the winner of Indiana Wesleyan University and Geneva College in an elimination game. The game, originally scheduled for noon, has been moved up due to pending weather.
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Game 1 - Campbellsville 2, Oklahoma Wesleyan 1 (12 innings)
What started as a pitchers' duel between OWU's Jenna Daniel and CU's Taylor Wroe grew into a pitching staff battle for both teams. The Lady Tigers used four pitchers in the 12-inning battle, while Oklahoma Wesleyan threw two.
The Lady Tigers were no-hit through 3 2/3 innings until Heather Oakley hit a solo shot to left-center. OWU also busted up a no-no in the fourth. Wroe gave up back-to-back, one-out walks and a fielder's choice before giving up an RBI single to Macy Wright, which scored Allison Edwards to tie the game, 1-1.
CU had a chance to regain the lead in the sixth, but base running miscues proved costly. Shelby Ray led off the inning with the only other CU hit during regulation, and Kristin Benton reached on an error to put runners on second and third with no outs. Ray tried to advance on an infield ground out but was caught in a run down. After Benton tried to draw attention away from Ray in a ploy to sneak a run across, Ray was tagged out at home. The following at bat, Oakley lined into a double play at short to end the inning.
After moving into extra innings, Ray singled with two outs in the eighth and was left stranded, while Taylor Borders doubled off the top of the left field fence to start the 10th inning.
The OWU Eagles threatened in the bottom half of both of those innings, getting two runners on. Kelsi Pardue took over the pitching duties from Courtney Turpin with two on and one out in the eighth and proceeded to strike out the next two batters. In the 10th, Pardue gave up a one-out single and walk before getting a ground ball and strike out to escape the jam.
With the game dragging on into the 12th, Oakley drew a leadoff walk to start the inning. Adrean Jordan used a sac bunt to move Oakley and then Sarah Paragon reentered the game as the designated player. Paragon fouled off pitch after pitch before driving a double to center to score Oakley as the go-ahead run. CU left runners on the corners in the inning.
Martina Riney took over in the circle in the bottom of the 12th to record the save, getting a pop out and ground out before giving up a triple to right by Courtney Gilliand. Riney reset and struck out Candace Perkins to end the game.
Campbellsville spread out its pitching. Wroe struck out three and allowed a hit and two walks through four innings of work. Turpin pitched 3 1/3 of scoreless action, allowing a walk and three hits, while Pardue (15-7) got the win, throwing 3 2/3 innings, allowing a hit and a walk, while striking out six. Riney had one K and a hit in the 12th.
Jenna Daniel started the game for OWU, lasting 9 2/3 innings. She allowed four and nine strikeouts without allowing a walk through 124 pitches. Courtney Carson (7-7) had the loss in relief, allowing one walk and a hit through 2 1/3.
Ray and Gilland led their respective teams with two hits each.
OWU will meet Simpson University in an elimination game later Thursday night.
GAME 2 – Shorter 9, Campbellsville 0 (5 innings)
Shorter, the 2012 NAIA champions, used a pair of four-run innings as part of its 9-0 win over the Lady Tigers. Making their first NCCAA appearance in program history, the Hawks opened the game with four unearned runs in the bottom off the first.
An Emma Napier error, fielder's choice, single and Brooke Boils error loaded the bases for Shorter with only one out. The Hawks went on to gain the lead with an RBI single by Amanda Daily, error at home and two-RBI base knock by starting pitcher Christina Ezell.
Shorter added four more in the third. Dailey started the inning with a single, but CU starting pitcher Victoria Decker looked to get out of the inning with a ground out to short and leaping line out catch by Boils at third. With two outs, Shelby Ray misplayed a ball at second to put runners on the corners, and Kendall Johnson singled up the middle off Decker's hand to score the first run. Shorter added two more on a dropped fly ball in left by Adrean Jordan.
Decker (17-6) gave up all eight runs, none of which were earned, off eight hits. Martina Riney took over after Shorter made it 8-0 in the third and got a fly ball to end the inning.
Riney allowed only one hit in 1 1/3 innings of work, giving up a solo homer to Bre Johnson to start the bottom of the fourth.
Campbellsville was held hitless through four by Ezell, until Heather Oakley doubled to left to lead off the fifth. Ezell struck out the next three for the shutout. She finished with nine Ks.
Shorter will meet Judson University (Ill.) on Friday at noon.
