May 15, 2009

DECATUR, Ala. - Day two of the 29^th Annual NAIA Softball National Championships was moving day for each of the 32 teams in Decatur, Ala.  The tournament consisted of eight pools of four teams, with only one team from each pool advancing to the final eight-team bracket on Monday.  Numerous teams stayed alive with wins, while several teams recorded their second tourney loss, mathematically eliminating them from the tournament.

Pool A Recap, Day 2

California Baptist leads Pool A with a 2-0 record going into the last day of pool play following their 2-0 win over Park (Mo.).  Emma Holden tossed a complete game five-hitter in the shutout, while California Baptist got an RBI each from Sarah Strong and Nina Cabrales. 

Hastings pulled the upset in the second game, with a 2-1 win over No. 22 Friends (Kan.).  Hastings trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning.  Run scoring singles from Kayla Peltz and Chelsey Woodside put Hastings on top for the first time.  Woodside, who had the game-winning RBI, also tossed a perfect top of the seventh inning to record the save.

On Saturday, California Baptist will play Friends at 1:00 p.m., while Park will play Hastings at 6:00 p.m.  California Baptist will advance to the final eight with a win.

Pool B Recap, Day 2

Pool B will come down to two teams as both Shorter (Ga.) and defending champion Lubbock Christian (Texas) are 2-0 after wins on Friday.  Shorter defeated Asbury (Ky.) 11-0.  Becca Thomas tossed a complete game, one-hitter with five strikeouts.  On the offensive side, Amanda Albertson and Jordan Najafi led the way with two RBI each.

Lubbock Christian broke open a 2-1 game in the top of the sixth inning with six runs to defeat Morningside (Iowa) 8-1.  Amanda Parsons was 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Lady Chaps.  Sabrina Hernandez added two hits and three RBI as well.

On Saturday, Shorter will play Lubbock Christian at 12:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to the final eight.  Asbury and Morningside will end their seasons with a game at 5:30 p.m.

Pool C Recap, Day 2

Concordia (Calif.) and Dickinson State (N.D.) both earned wins on Friday, moving their pool records to 2-0 and setting up a winner-take-all game on Saturday.  Concordia defeated Northwood (Texas) 2-0.  Laura Wiens tossed a complete-game, one hitter in route to the win.  Concordia scored two runs in the first when Jennifer Simons and Melanie Hansen each had RBI hits.

Dickinson State stayed perfect with a 5-0 win over Missouri Valley.  Sara Jane Webster tossed a complete game, one hitter with 12 strikeouts in the win.  Dickinson State got two RBI apiece from Jody Lantz and Kyrstin Gemar.  Dickenson State scored four of their five runs in the first inning.

On Saturday, Concordia will play Dickinson State at 12:00 p.m. with the winner advancing to the final eight.  Missouri Valley will play Northwood at 5:00 p.m. in both teams final game of the year.

Pool D Recap, Day 2

Pool D comes down to a game between Madonna (Mich.) and Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) who are both 2-0 in pool play.  Madonna defeated Holy Names (Calif.) 3-0 behind the complete game, two-hitter from Jess Irwin.  Madonna scored a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.  Leading the way was Tedi Johnston with two RBI.

Point Loma Nazarene, ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, defeated McKendree (Ill.) 4-0.  Tyler Lent allowed just three hits and tallied eight strikeouts in her seven innings of work.  All of Point Loma Nazarene's runs came in the top of the first, led by a two RBI single from Alexandra Wilkinson.

On Saturday, Madonna will play Point Loma Nazarene at 11:30 a.m. with the winner advancing to the final eight.  Holy Names and McKendree will play their final game of the season at 4:30 p.m.

Pool E Recap, Day 2

Notre Dame (Ohio) moved to 2-0 in pool play with just one game remaining in a 4-2 win over William Carey (Miss.).  William Carey led 1-0 after one inning, and 2-1 after five innings.  However, Notre Dame rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take their first lead of the game.  Notre Dame got RBI singles from Jill Gigliotti, Steph Tartaglione, and Lianna Holub to help gain the victory.  William Carey dropped to 1-1 in pool play.

In the other Poll E game on Friday, Brenau (Ga.) needed extra innings to keep their season alive with a 3-2 (8) win over Waldorf (Iowa).  Brenau moves to 1-1 in pool play, while Waldorf, at 0-2, will end their season on Saturday.  After Waldorf tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the top of the seventh, Brenau failed to score in the bottom half, sending the game to extras.  In the bottom of the eighth inning, Brenau got back-to-back singles from Marisa Lister and Katie Hulsey.  After Lister was retired on a fielder's choice, Hulsey came around to score the winning run on a single from Brooke Borders.

On Saturday, William Carey will play Brenau at 10:30 a.m., while Notre Dame plays Waldorf at 3:30 p.m.  Notre Dame earns a spot in the final eight with a win.

Pool F Recap, Day 2

Perennial powers No. 6 Oklahoma City and No. 10 Simon Fraser (B.C.) remain perfect in pool play at 2-0 with their wins on Friday.  Now the two will play on Saturday with the winner earning a spot in the final bracket of eight teams.  Oklahoma City rolled to an 8-0 win over Georgetown (Ky.) as Ashley Wilburn and Lily LaVelle combined for the three-hit shutout.

Simon Fraser needed extra innings to keep their perfect record in tact as they topped Bethel (Tenn.) 6-2 in eight innings.  Bethel (Tenn.) led Simon Fraser 2-1 going into the sixth inning.  However, Simon Fraser tied the game with a run in the top of the sixth.  After both teams went scoreless in the seventh, Simon Fraser broke the game open with four runs in the eighth to seal the win.

On Saturday, Oklahoma City and Simon Fraser play at 9:00 a.m. to decide the pool champion.  Bethel (Tenn.) and Georgetown will both play their final games of 2009 at 3:00 p.m.

Pool G Recap, Day 2

St. Gregory's (Okla.) leads the way at 2-0 in pool play with their 2-1 win over Saint Xavier (Ill.).  St. Gregory's broke a 1-1 tie with a tally in the bottom of the sixth inning on two Saint Xavier errors.  Sharon Bell tossed a complete game, two-hitter for the win. 

Houston-Victoria (Texas) remained in the hunt as they evened their pool record to 1-1 with a 3-1 victory over Savanna Art and Design (Ga.).  Houston-Victoria's two runs in the fourth broke a 1-1 tie, and pitcher Lauren Garza held the lead with a complete game, four-hitter.

On Saturday, St. Gregory's will play Houston-Victoria at 9:30 a.m. with St. Gregory's advancing to the final eight if they win.  Saint Xavier will play SCAD at 2:30 p.m. 

Pool H Recap, Day 2

Bethel (Ind.) leads the way with a 2-0 record following their 8-4 win over Idaho.  Mandy Cripe and Katie Boocher led the way with 2-for-3 days at the play.  Cripe posted two homeruns and four RBI, while Boocher added a homer and three RBI.

Martin Methodist (Tenn.) evened their mark at 1-1 with a 1-0 win over Virginia-Wise.  Sally Gale tossed a complete game, five-hit shutout in the win. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth when Martin Methodist's Brooke Kelley doubled to drive in Chrissy Worth, who had singled earlier in the inning.

On Saturday, Bethel (Ind.) will play Martin Methodist at 9:00 a.m.  Bethel (Ind.) advances to the final eight with a win.  Idaho will play Virginia-Wise at 2:00 p.m.

-NAIA-