KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Jayce Seavert lined a go-ahead 2-run double in a decisive fourth inning rally and made the defensive play of the day for Oregon Tech, as the Lady Owls punched their ticket to their third-straight NAIA Softball World Series, outlasting William Jessup, 5-1, in the winner-take-all championship game of the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening Round Klamath Falls Bracket at Stilwell Stadium.
The Lady Owls (49-11) set a new school record for wins in a season and will head to Columbus, Ga., where they will meet the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma next Thursday in a match-up of former national champions. The game is set for 4 p.m. (EDT) and will be carried live in the Klamath Basin on 104.3 and 960 Sports with Mike Safford on the call.
Tech was forced into the if-necessary game by the Warriors (39-15), as Sam Lorge launched a walk-off 2-run homer in the eighth inning of the opener, giving the Golden State Athletic Conference champs a 5-4 win.
In the title game, the Owls turned to Mckenzie Staub in the circle, who kept WJU at bay throughout – with the Warriors lone run coming on a third inning Haley Hiett RBI single. Staub stranded a runner at third base in both the first and fourth inning.
Tied 1-1 in the fourth, OIT took the lead for good as Kennedy Jantzi and Lexi Klum led off the frame with sharply hit singles. Seavert followed with her double into the left-center gap to make it 3-1 and scored on a 2-out RBI single from Zoe Allen.
It got interesting in the fifth, as WJU loaded the bases with one-out – but Staub got Kaela Hangebrauch to lace a line drive to Seavert, who doubled off Hiett at first to end the threat and the right-hander retired six of the final seven batters of the game for her second postseason win.
Allen and Klum each had two hits in the win for Tech, as the Owls won their fourth Opening Round title (2015, 2019, 2021, 2022) in eight tries.
"This is a fantastic group of players that really know how to compete," said OIT head coach
Greg Stewart. "It is fun to be able to say our program is made up of a bunch of 'pit bulls' that all are striving to be the 'thumb' for this team. We had a great preseason team building presentation that taught us this concept. Thank you Tommy Brown and One Heartbeat."
The opener had ups and downs for each team – with OIT taking a 2-0 lead on a Jantzi fourth inning RBI double. The California side battled back in the bottom of the inning, as Hangebrauch doubled and Lorge walked. Natalie Nash pushed a bunt past the drawn in Owls corner infielders for a single, scoring Hangebrauch, along with Lorge, who raced home on a throwing error to tie the game. Kaylee Winn gave WPU their first lead, scoring Nash with a single.
Tech forced extra innings as Maggie Buckholz hit a long solo homer in the sixth to tie the score – and took the lead in their half of the eighth on the second RBI double of the game from Jantzi.
Down to their final two outs, Jessup had magic left, as Hangebrauch lined a seeing-eye single and Lorge hit her second homer of the tournament – a deep blast over the wall – to keep the Warriors season alive.
Buckholz and Klum each had three hits in the loss for OIT, part of a 13-hit attack. Sarah Abramson took the loss, but picked up her 900th career strikeout, becoming just the second Cascade Conference hurler to reach the milestone.
NOTES:
- It marks OIT's seventh trip to the final site of the NAIA Softball National Championships – as the Owls made trips in 1997, 2011 and 2012 under the previous 16-team format.
- Three players will be playing in their third NAIA Softball World Series – Abramson, McKenna Armantrout and Maddie DeVerna
- Klum finished the tournament 8-for-14 – the most hits of any player on the four teams
- Jantzi becomes the seventh OIT player to record 60 RBI in a season with her two RBI in Game 1
- Tech finished the season 23-2 at Stilwell Stadium – the 23 wins a new record for home victories
- OIT will be the CCC's lone representative at the NAIA Softball World Series, as Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho and Southern Oregon all lost in their respective Opening Round championship games
- The Owls are one of seven No. 1 seeds to advance to Georgia, as Mobile, Oklahoma City, Freed-Hardeman, USAO, Indiana Wesleyan and Southeastern each won their brackets. Grand View, Tennessee Wesleyan and Webber International round out the 10-team field.
NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OPENING ROUND KLAMATH FALLS BRACKET
GAME 1 – William Jessup 4, Rio Grande 3
GAME 2 – Oregon Tech 4, Cottey 3 (8 inn.)
GAME 3 – Oregon Tech 2, William Jessup 0
GAME 4 – Rio Grande 8, Cottey 7 (loser out)
GAME 5 – William Jessup 12, Rio Grande 1 (loser out)
GAME 6 – William Jessup 5, Oregon Tech 4 (8 inn.)
GAME 7 – Oregon Tech 5, William Jessup 1 (championship)