Story by Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Athletic Communications & Media
Pictures courtesy of Paul Penders Photography, Click HERE to order 

CLERMONT, Fla. – (Box Score) (Bracket) No. 2 seed Oklahoma City eliminated top seed Georgia Gwinnett by a 7-2 advantage in an elimination bracket game Tuesday morning at the NAIA Softball World Series. The 38th annual event is hosted by PFX Athletics for the second-straight year.

Up Next:

• Oklahoma City stays alive in the elimination bracket and will face the winner of No. 3 Marian (Ind.) / No. 6 Southern Oregon Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.
• With a 1-2 record in its first-ever World Series, Georgia Gwinnett ends its season with a 53-6 record.

Key Turning Point of the Game:

• Oklahoma City’s Brittany Perez broke the game wide open with her bat in the top of the seventh inning.
• With one out, Perez ripped a triple to the right-center gap that scored three Stars. It was Perez’s first triple of the year.
• That hit stretched the Oklahoma City lead to 6-2.

Clutch Performer

• The Oklahoma City team defense backed up starting pitcher Jaden Shores all day.
• One example of this involved third baseman Laci Joyner. She made a diving stab to her left, fielded it cleanly, and threw over to first to end the game.
• Coming into the game, the team was No. 10 in the NAIA in fielding percentage (.967).

Game Notes:

• Oklahoma City’s Jaden Shores improved to 16-2 in the circle with her complete-game, 127-pitch effort. She allowed two runs on six hits. She struck out four and walked six.
• The two teams combined for 12 walks. Shores gave up a season-high six free passes. Georgia Gwinnett hurler Taylor Hansis also gave up six.
• Brittany Perez and Jaci Smith paced the Stars offense with two hits each. Perez added two runs scored.
• Sydney Willhite went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Grizzlies. In three World Series games, Willhite had four hits and three RBI.
• In its NAIA-record 31st World Series event, Oklahoma City now moves to 127-46.
• Georgia Gwinnett finishes its first World Series with a 1-2 record.
• There have been six home runs hit by five different players in this World Series.
• The team scoring first through 13 games now is 9-4.
• The home team stands 5-8.
• The higher seeds now hold a 7-6 record thus far in the World Series.

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Source: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics