Concordia's Renee Santos allowed just a single base runner in a no-hit performance on Sunday.
Cavs: 3 Slams, Santos Fires No-No in Sweep
BOX SCORE -- GAME 1 : GAME 2
PORTLAND, Ore.—Facing a team attempting to clinch a postseason spot in the regular season finale, Concordia drilled Oregon Tech 11-0 and 12-1 Cascade Collegiate Conference softball action on Sunday.
With the sweep, Concordia, ranked No. 4 in the latest NAIA coaches’ poll, improved to 32-4 on the season and finished the year with a 21-3 record in conference play. Oregon Teach, having needed a single win to claim the third and final spot in the CCC Tournament, concluded its season at 25-25 and 12-12 in league play.
In the opener, the Cavaliers struck for a single run in the first before adding three in the second and erupting for six in the third to walk away with a 10-0 win in a five-inning contest.
CU starter Renee Santos matched the Cavalier offense in efficiency with five innings of no-hit work. The junior walked Oregon Tech’s Andria Wheatley in the first at bat of the game, but went on to retire the next 15 batters to post the no hitter. Santos notched 10 strikeouts while facing just one batter over the minimum.
After drawing walks in her first two at bats, Concordia shortstop Ali Paz connected for the culminating runs with a grand slam in the third inning in her only official at bat. Cameron Way added to her team-leading RBI and home run total with a grand slam of her own with a shot to left in the second inning.
Kayla Vickaryous scored three runs after going 2-for-3 at the plate and was joined by Way, Becca Gawlista and Laura Thorp with multi-hit performances as CU tallied 12 hits in the game.
Senior Danielle Pulfrey allowed just two hits and a walk in a 6-inning complete-game win in the second game.
OIT’s Kaila Larson drew a walk in the first and moved to second with a stolen base but was stranded when Pulfrey notched one of her three strikeouts for the second out if the inning and got a fly-ball out to center to end the frame.
Jess Plummer singled through the middle in the fourth and Sara Coates smashed a lead-off home run to center in the fifth as Oregon Tech’s lone hits in the game.
The Cavalier attack maintained its momentum from the first game by registering 5-run innings in the second and the sixth innings while plating a pair of runners in the third.
Concordia struck for five hits, all of which were singles, in the second to open up the early lead. Paz provided the biggest shot in the stanza with a 2-run single to right to score Vickaryous and Thorp while Gawlista earned an RBI with a sacrifice fly to score Mallory Callahan.
Five more singles added the two runs in the third with Paz and Vickaryous notching RBI swings. In the sixth, Way smacked a double to left center to score Paz which led to a walk-off grand slam, the team’s third of the day, by catcher Courtney Wooden.
The Cavs tallied 15 hits in the game with eight of its nine starters recording at least one hit. Tina Garcia, the lone starter without a hit, did however score on two occasions as she reached twice via an OIT error.
The first four batters for Concordia combined to go 16-for-23 with 11 runs and 14 RBI. Paz finished the day 4-for-4 with three walks and seven RBI.
The Owls finished in a tie for third place with Southern Oregon, which completed its regular season Friday. After comparing head to head results between SOU and OIT (the two teams split their regular season series 2-2), the Raiders emerged victorious in the second tiebreaker when records were compared versus the top finishing team in the CCC standings. Southern Oregon was 2-2 against Concordia while OIT went 0-4.
Corban earlier this weekend locked up the No. 2 seed in tournament by finishing alone in second place with a 14-8 CCC mark.
This year's CCC Championships will be held at the home site of the No. 1 seed, Concordia, and get underway Friday afternoon at Delta Park in North Portland.
The opening game of the tournament will match second-seeded Corban versus third-seeded Southern Oregon in an elimination game. The winner will advance to face Concordia in a best-of-three series. The tournament champion will earn the CCC's automatic bid to the NAIA Softball World Series.