KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – For the second-straight year, Oregon Tech needed a walk-off hit to win the first game of the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, as Lexi Klum chopped a 2-out RBI single up the middle to plate Kaila Mick, as the Lady Owls outlasted Saint Xavier University, 4-3, at Stilwell Stadium.
The top-seeded Lady Owls (48-7) will meet No. 2-seed Northwestern College tomorrow at 12 p.m. with a spot in the bracket title game on the line. Northwestern hung on to defeat Embry-Riddle in today's opener, 6-5.
OIT had a commanding 11-3 edge in hits, but Cougars (32-15) right-hander Laila Summers worked out of jams through the first five innings.
Tech loaded the bases in the first and took a 1-0 lead on a Jayce Seavert sacrifice fly – but Summers got a ground out a fly out to end the threat. OIT extended the lead to 2-0 on a second inning Nita Cook RBI double – but the SXU junior stranded the runner at third.
The Chicago squad took advantage of three third inning walks, with Alexus Reese clearing the bases with a double into the left field corner, giving the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
The Lady Owls pulled even in the sixth on an opposite field solo homer from Addision Kachnik and won it in their final at bat. Mick walked and moved to second on a 2-out stolen base. Klum chopped a 2-strike pitch over the pitchers' circle, eluding both middle infielders, allowing Mick to score the winning run.
Mckenzie Staub allowed just one hit in four shutout innings of relief to earn the win, striking out two. Maggie Buckholz was 3-for-4, with Kachnik finishing 2-for-3.
Summers went the distance for SXU, walking two without a strikeout. Reese, Nicole Lovato and Sarah Bowen each had hits for the Cougars.
In today's opener, Kameryn Ethrington hit a first inning grand slam home run to erase a 1-0 ERAU lead, as the Red Raiders (47-8) held on for a win. Gwen Mikkelson doubled home a pair in the third inning to give NC a 6-2 lead, but the Eagles (37-15) got solo homers from Autumn Sulusi and Kate Delaney, with a seventh inning double from Leah Salas cutting the margin to one. However, Kate Kralik struck out Emma Almodoba with the tying run at third to end the game.
Salas was 3-for-4 with two doubles and Delaney had a double and homer for ERAU, while Mikkelson and Claire Bomgaars had two hits for the Red Raiders. The game was delayed by 48 minutes in the third inning due to lightning.
ERAU and SXU will meet tomorrow in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m.
GAME 1: Northwestern 6, Embry-Riddle 5
GAME 2: Oregon Tech 4, Saint Xavier 3
GAME 3: Oregon Tech vs. Northwestern, Tuesday, 12 p.m.
GAME 4: Embry-Riddle vs. Saint Xavier, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m. (loser out)
GAME 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 5 p.m. (loser out)
GAME 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 1 p.m. (championship)