COLUMBUS, Ga. – [BRACKET | SCHEDULE] After having three games postponed a day earlier, five games were completed on day two of the 2022 NAIA Softball National Championship. Higher seeds went 3-2 on the day as both of the top seeds advanced in the winner’s bracket. Grand View (Iowa) was the lone team to play twice on Friday and went 1-1 on the day as Southeastern (Fla.) also saw its second game of the 2022 Spring Classic.

GAME NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS

No. 8 Grand View (Iowa) def. No. 9 Tennessee Wesleyan, 1-0

• In the top of the fourth, Grand View right fielder Allyx Lee made an incredible throw of a hit off the fence in right-center field to throw out Loryn Sherwood to keep the game square at zero.
• Alyx Witt broke the deadlocked score in the bottom of the fourth. The Viking third baseman cranked a solo shot to left center to give the team from Des Moines a 1-0 lead. It was her eighth of the season.
• Tennessee Wesleyan starting pitcher, Cheyenne Strong, was perfect until the fourth inning home run. The senior recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit on the day.
• Strong was named NAIA National Pitcher of the Week in two consecutive weeks this season (April 5 and April 12).

No. 5 Science & Arts (Okla.) def. No. 4 Oregon Tech, 3-0

• Two of the top pitchers in the NAIA matched-up in the second of five games on day two and didn’t disappoint. Neither surrendered a run through six innings and combined for 19 strikeouts.
• Emily Cerny was lights-out for the Drovers. The defending NAIA National Pitcher of the Year fanned 11 and allowed just three hits with 150 pitches.
• Oregon Tech’s Sarah Abramson ran into trouble in the top of the seventh. The fifth-year senior walked-in what became the winning run after putting together a near flawless performance.
• Abramson’s eight strikeouts have put her just three shy of the career strikeout record in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (911).
• Science & Arts’ shutout of Oregon Tech was the first for the Owls in 96 games.

No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan def. No. 3 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), 3-1

• Indiana Wesleyan broke through in the top of the fourth. After a walk with the bases loaded, Elisha Koshy plated a pair on a two-RBI single to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
• Freed-Hardeman answered in the bottom half of the fourth. With the bases loaded and just one out, Caitlin Mitchell roped a sacrifice fly to left field to put the Lion on the board.
• Emma Etter-Cox entered in the fifth and tossed the final three innings for the Wildcats. The freshman from Indianapolis allowed just one hit with 28 pitches to pick-up the three-inning save.
• Freed-Hardeman’s Brittany Adair suffered her first loss and fell to 18-1 on the year.

No. 2 Oklahoma City def. No. 7 Southeastern (Fla.), 2-0

• OCU right-hander Shelby Cornelson tossed a two-hit shutout in the victory, her NAIA-leading 34th win of the season
• The Stars struck first in the second, as a single from Kaitlyn Jones was followed by a double from Brooklyn Mason. Mallory McCoy delivered the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to plate Jones
• OCU extended the lead in the third, as Kennedy Jackson and Rally Radacy each singled. Jackson stole third and scored on an errant throw
• The Fire had their best scoring chance in the sixth inning, as Haleigh Harrell led off the frame with a double, but was unable to score.
• The Stars improved to 51-6 on the season with the victory

No. 1 Mobile (Ala.) def. No. 8 Grand View (Iowa), 9-1

• Grand View (Iowa) grabbed an early lead, thanks to a bases loaded walk to Rachel Anderson to make it 1-0.
• Mobile (Ala.) collected a trio of runs in the second and third to take the lead for good.
• All three runs the Rams scored in the second were unearned.
• Eila Infante scored on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the third to give the Rams a 4-1 lead.
• Jaden Morace followed with a two RBI single to extend the lead to 6-1.
• Morace and Infante combined to go 4-8 at the plate
• Emily Butts improved to 23-0 after tossing a one-hit shutout over four and two-thirds of an inning.
• With the win, Mobile secured its 50^th win of the season.

COVERAGE

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