Story by Chad Waller, Director of Communications & Sports Information
Pictures courtesy of Rick Dominowski, Click HERE to order

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) Oklahoma City finished with 12 hits – the third-straight game with double digit base knocks – that propelled the No. 1 seeded Stars to a 8-1 victory tonight over No. 6 Southeastern (Fla.) today in a loser-out game at the 36th Annual NAIA Softball World Series, presented by Security National Bank and Morningside College. In its first two games of the World Series, Oklahoma City tallied just seven combined hits. Tonight, the No. 1 ranked NAIA team in hits and runs found their groove and again made a winner of starting pitcher Georgia Wall.

Oklahoma City advances to the World Series title game to play No. 4 Saint Xavier (Ill.) Thursday at 5 p.m. CDT. St. Xavier needs one win – since they are undefeated (3-0) – for the World Series title, while Oklahoma City is playing out of the loser’s bracket and needs two wins tomorrow.

Stars starting pitcher Georgia Wall continued her hot streak in the circle.

During one stretch, Wall retired 17-straight batters after giving up a leadoff single to Cheyenne Blaha in the bottom of the first. Blaha walked to snap the streak in the bottom of the sixth. But Wall was too much for the Southeastern bats as she started back-to-back games on the same day for the first time all year.

"We have two other outstanding pitchers, but Georgia is hot right now so we have to go with her," said Oklahoma City head coach Phil McSpadden. "We over-coached the game against Saint Xavier. Realized we just needed to relax and have fun. I give credit to our players because this is what we can do. Tomorrow we just have to play relaxed and just do what we do."

Oklahoma City took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning. The big blow was a two-RBI single off the bat of Kyndra Holasek.

The Stars put up another crooked number, plating two runs in the fifth. Holasek ripped another RBI single before Madison Ellis doubled to drive in Holasek.

Ellis iced the game in the seventh with a 3-run home run – her 12th of the year and first since May 5. She finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. Laci Joyner and Holasek each recorded a pair of hits for the Stars.

Ellis now ranks No. 2 in this World Series in batting average (.600) going 9-for-15.

Four Southeastern batters collected singles in the game – two of them coming in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Sydnie Malloy broke the shutout with a RBI single to center to plate Sammy Jacobson, who was a pinch-runner.

Wall has now pitched 32-of-the-34 Oklahoma City innings in this World Series. She has composed a 0.84 ERA and struck out 17 batters. She improved to 26-1 overall. She allowed just one run on four hits. She walked two and struck out a pair.

Lindsie Scholwinski suffered the loss for Southeastern to drop to 32-9. She allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 12 hits. She fanned three batters and walk two.

Southeastern, competing in its first-ever World Series, wraps up the year with a 44-16 mark.

Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video-streaming company of NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting all 19 games of the 2016 NAIA Softball World Series on the NAIA Network. The All-World Series package can be purchased for $29.95 or the day package for $9.95. For more information, including how to register for an account, click here.

The double-elimination event is being played out at the Elizabeth & Irving Jensen Softball Complex. The City of Sioux City and Morningside College serve as official hosts for the second-straight time. For more information on the 2016 NAIA Softball World Series, click here.