BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Yesterday's NAIA Softball Opening Round Championship in the Bowling Green Bracket saw only four runs scored but two-seeded Campbellsville and four-seeded Indiana Wesleyan both came out on top and will square off today in the winner's bracket final.
The Lady Tigers and Wildcats have first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at Michael O. Buchanon Park. The loser's of yesterday's games – St. Francis and Freed-Hardeman have an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. ET. The loser of the CU-IWU contest will play once again tonight at 6 p.m. ET against the winner of SFU-FHU.
Fans can follow each game on the CU Sports Network at the links above.
No. 11 Campbellsville (38-13) vs. Indiana Wesleyan (42-13)
It was
Jacqueline Roof's solo home run in the third inning uncorking a scoreless tie and leading Campbellsville's 1-0 victory. The bomb was Roof's team-leading 12
th of the year, as she went 3-for-3 at the plate.
Neely Quint and
Rachel Denkins combined to shutout the Lady Lions but it was Denkins working out of jams in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to earn her fourth save of the year and secure CU's bid to the winner's bracket finals this afternoon. Quint picked up her 19
th win.
The win in the first round is the first in Lady Tiger history, as CU lost to Rio Grande in 2015 and Great Falls in 2016. But for those that remember, the Lady Tigers rallied in 2015 with four straight wins – one of those a 5-1 win over Indiana Wesleyan in the USC Beaufort Bracket to secure its first-ever NAIA Opening Round Championship and World Series bid. That loss for IWU ended its season, as then-freshman
Neely Quint and then-junior
Victoria Decker combined to throw a no-hitter. Freshman
Hailey Szpila led CU going 2-for-3 and driving in two runs.
Indiana Wesleyan enters after scoring three unearned runs against top-seeded St. Francis yesterday in the nightcap at Buchanon Park.
Kailey Carson tossed a two-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and the Wildcats scored those three unearned runs on five Fighting Saints errors.
Carson, though, is one of the best two-way players in the country. She leads the Wildcats by hitting .508 on the year – which ranks fourth in the country. Her 99 hits are tops on the team along with her 20 home runs and 81 RBI. The 99 hits and 20 home runs ranks third in the NAIA, while the 81 RBI is second.
In addition, Carson also is the ace in the circle for IWU. She brings in a 23-8 record and 1.78 ERA with 25 complete games and six shutouts.
Kristen Exposito is hitting .389 with 13 home runs and has driven in 57 runs. She is followed by Sara Kritzer's 10 home runs and 35 RBI.
The Wildcats also won their first-ever NAIA Championship first round game yesterday. In 2015, IWU lost to USC Beaufort and last season lost to Southeastern University in the Davenport Bracket.
