COLUMBUS, Ga. – Kacie Schmidt retired 13 of the final 14 batters of the day and top-ranked Oregon Tech turned three Central Methodist errors into four runs, as the Lady Owls opened NAIA Softball World Series play with a 4-1 victory on the Olympic Diamond at South Commons Softball Complex.
The Lady Owls (51-8) established a new single-season wins mark with the victory, advancing the squad to the national quarterfinals and a match-up against No. 4-ranked and longtime rival, Southern Oregon. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (PDT) Saturday, with the game to be carried live on 104.3-FM and 960-AM in the Klamath Basin, plus a Watch Party in the Crater Lake Complex of the College Union on the OIT campus.
After stranding a runner at third base in the first inning, Tech capitalized on a pair of Eagles (42-11) errors in the second to take the lead. Lexi Klum hit the first pitch of the inning to third, with CMU third baseman Joely Crider misplaying the grounder, allowing the Tech outfielder to reach. Following a walk to Mckenzie Staub, Puakea Milbourne dropped down a sacrifice bunt in front of the circle, with Eagles pitcher Haley Cotter launching a wild throw down the right field line – allowing Klum to score. An out later, Nita Cook gapped a 2-run double, extending the lead to 3-0.
"Our mindset is to not press," Schmidt said. "We do our best when we play loose, play together, play for each other, play for our seniors and have fun."
CMU recorded three of their five hits in the third inning, as Katelyn Kiser led off with a double and scored on a Crider sacrifice fly. Schmidt buckled down, getting a pop up and a ground out with the tying runners aboard to end the threat.
Tech got the run back in the bottom of the frame, as Maggie Buckholz singled off the glove of second baseman Madison White, moved to second on a ground ball and scored on a wild throw from CMU first baseman Elizabeth Palumbo following a ground out.
Schmidt took over from there – retiring CMU in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings – before allowing a one-out infield single in the seventh. The momentum was short-lived, as the right-hander coaxed a game-ending double play ball to advance the Owls in the bracket.
"We know as a team it isn't going to be one player, one pitcher or one hitter that will win a game, it will be everyone up and down the lineup," said Schmidt. "It starts with our defense, as my job is to work ahead and get contact that can produce an out."
Schmidt walked just one and struck out a pair to record her 26th-straight victory, dating back to February. Buckholz was the lone player for either team with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3, including a fifth inning triple, her eighth of the season.
Cotter picked up her first loss of the year for CMU – holding Tech to just four hits with a bevy of change-ups – getting 11 of 18 outs on ground balls.
NOTES:
- OIT improved to 5-3 in their opening game at the final site of the NAIA Championships, including a 3-2 mark in World Series play
- The Lady Owls improved to 2-0 all-time vs. CMU – having defeated the Eagles, 4-3 in 16 innings at the 2015 NAIA Softball World Series. Tech is now 3-0 all-time against the Heart of America Athletic Conference, as OIT earned a victory over Mount Mercy at the 2021 World Series.
- Milbourne had eight defensive chances in the game and leads the NAIA with 388 total defensive chances this season without an error.
- Three of the four OIT hits were extra base hits, as Zoe Allen led off the first with a double – joining the double from Cook and the triple from Buckholz.
- Saturday's match-up between OIT and Southern will be the sixth of 2023 – with the Lady Owls holding a perfect 5-0 record against their rivals. The two teams have met 19 times during the postseason, with the Raiders holding an 11-8 series edge, including 3-2 and 7-5 wins in the championship round of the 2021 NAIA Softball World Series.
- Head coach Greg Stewart earned his 796th all-time win in a match-up with CMU's Pat Reardon, who ranks in the NAIA Top-10 in victories with 934.