IU Southeast reaches softball NAIA Opening Round finals
IU Southeast reaches softball NAIA Opening Round finals
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The IU Southeast softball team forced a decisive game in the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round with a 5-0 victory over Mount Mercy (Iowa) before falling 2-1 in championship finale.
IU Southeast (48-18) set the program record for wins in 2021 with 48 and Hannah Ogg set the single-season record for wins with 30.
The Grenadiers forced the deciding game with shutout win in the first game of the day. Brooklyn Gibbs scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter while striking out a pair.
IU Southeast opened the scoring with a run in the top of the third. Macie Zink singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a RBI single by Lindsey Nelson.
The Grenadiers put the game away with a four-run fourth inning. All the runs came with two outs. Ellie Jackman led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a RBI single by Madeline Probus. Macie Zink followed with a single and moved to second on the throw to put runners at second and third. Miranda Miller came through with a two-run single to right-center and then Gibbs helped herself as she doubled to score Miller.
The Mustangs (36-15) had runners at first and second with one out in the fourth but a popout and a lineout ended the inning.
In the fifth, Mount Mercy had runners at first and third with one out, but Gibbs recorded a pop out and then struck out Samantha Lee to end the inning and the last threat by the Mustangs in the contest.
Madeline Probus and Lindsey Nelson each had two hits and drove in a run, Miranda Miller drove in two in the win.
In the winner-take-all championship game, the Mustangs scored once in the third and once in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Morgan Braughton led off with a double. Later in the inning, after two intentional walks to load the bases, Emily Oler hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Braughton.
In the fourth, Natalie Tecklenberg led off with a single and scored on a double by Braughton.
The Grenadiers cut the lead in half in the sixth when Brooklyn Gibbs led off with a double and moved to third on a single by Lindsey Nelson. Kelsey Warman singled to third to load the bases with no outs.
Ellie Jackman hit a ground ball to short and Gibbs was forced out at home for the first out. A RBI groundout by Erin Templeman scored Nelson but the rally ended on a ground out by Dallas Henderson.
IU Southeast had runners at first and second with two outs in the seventh but a groundout to second by Nelson ended the game.
Brooklyn Gibbs and Lindsey Nelson each had two hits in the loss.