REDDING, Calif. – No. 7 Simpson recorded nine runs in the third and fourth innings to run away and hide, and the Eastern Oregon University softball team was confined to only one hit in a 10-0, five-inning defeat to the Red Hawks on Monday afternoon in the Opening Round of the 2016 NAIA National Championship.
EOU (29-22) left four runners stranded in the defeat, and junior third baseman Jorden Gerlach mustered the only hit for the Mountaineers.
In the circle, sophomore righty Hailey Kline suffered her seventh loss of the 2016 campaign, tossing a trio of strikeouts on the day. Meanwhile, junior pitcher Haylie Van Laethem saw 1.1 innings of action and recorded one strikeout.
Simpson (41-4) took the momentum in the third inning, as Courtney Thomas smacked a three-run shot to left field to make it a 4-0 ball game. In the fourth stanza, Madison Wright launched a two-run triple to swell the Red Hawks’ advantage to seven (7-0), and Kristin Beckman capped the inning with a three-run double.
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EOU will battle No. 2 seed Dickinson State (N.D.) in an elimination game tomorrow at 1 p.m. To follow live stats and/or watch live video, click here.