Oregon Tech Rolls Over Belhaven (Miss.) 4-2 in Bracket Play
May 23, 2011
GULF SHORES, Ala. – (Box Score) Oregon Tech (40-12) capitalized on 12 hits to take a 4-2 victory over Belhaven (Miss.) (48-11) in the winner’s bracket at the 2011 NAIA Softball National Championship Monday. Five Owls had two hits apiece as they never trailed.
Oregon Tech moves to 5-0 at the national championship and stays in the winner bracket. The Owls will face California Baptist Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. CDT. Belhaven falls into the loser’s bracket and takes on Oklahoma City, a 4-2 winner earlier, today at 5:30 p.m. Both contests can be watched live on www.WatchNAIA.com.
Pitching was the success again for the Owls. Starter Taylor Schmidt limited Belhaven to two runs (one earned) on four hits in 4.1 innings of work. She got credit with the win to move to 17-5 on the year. The Blazers averaged more than eight hits coming into the contest but only managed five.
Oregon Tech’s Jackie Imhof, who is one of four pitchers in the tournament to record 40-plus strikeouts, came on in relief of Schmidt to record the save. She went 2.2 innings and allowed just one hit.
Shauna Collins began the game with a triple for Oregon Tech. She scored on a balk by Sarah Burns. In the bottom of the frame, CeCee Austin singled home Christina Jaques to knot the score at 1-1.
In the third, Oregon Tech scored a single run before taking a 3-1 lead in the fourth frame. Andria Wheatley scored on a squeeze play after she tripled. The third run came home courtesy of a RBI-single by Wheatley.
Trailing 3-1 in the fifth inning, Belhaven cashed in on a fielding miscue. With Lizzy Hess at third, she crossed the plate on an error by the second baseman. However, Imhoff got out of further damage with a strikeout and the Owls clung to a 3-2 lead.
Oregon Tech added an insurance run in the sixth. Taylor Schmidt, who reached on a hit-by-pitch, was driven in by a Collins’ double.
Imhoff worked around one base runner in both the sixth and seventh innings to record her fifth save on the season.
Jaques went 2-for-3 to lead the Blazers.
The 31st annual event is played at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.
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