SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Oklahoma City University took runner-up in the NAIA Softball World Series after Southern Oregon's 8-3 victory Wednesday at Killian Sports Complex.
The third-ranked Stars (61-8) won 8-4 over Southern Oregon to set up a winner-take-all game for the national championship against Southern Oregon. The fourth-ranked Raiders (52-8) won their first national title in their third World Series appearance in a row.
Oklahoma City finished as national runner-up for the sixth time. OCU has won 10 national championships in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2016 and 2017. In OCU's 1993 runner-up showing, OCU forced the if-necessary game, but fell to West Florida 4-2.
Oklahoma City attempted to become the fifth team in NAIA Softball World Series history to both force the if-necessary game and capture the national championship. The Stars performed the feat in 2016, winning 2-0 and 5-0 over Saint Xavier (Ill.).
The national title game started just before noon CDT Wednesday, but rain intervened around 1:15 p.m. with fourth-ranked Southern Oregon leading 6-3 in the fifth inning. The championship game resumed after an 8-hour, 15-minute rain delay Wednesday.
Paige Leeper struck for a grand slam to center field to give Southern Oregon a 4-0 first-inning cushion.
The Stars cut their deficit to 4-2 by taking advantage of a pair of Southern Oregon errors in the second. In the third, Brittany Perez launched an RBI double to left-center field to slice Southern Oregon's lead down to 5-3.
Gabby Sandoval and the Southern Oregon defense ensured OCU wouldn't get any closer. Sandoval (36-4) struck out five in a complete-game effort.
Jaden Shores look the loss for the Stars, finishing at 33-6. Shores, a junior from Blanchard, Okla., turned in four complete games in the World Series, numbering 100 pitches three times. Shores, Kennedy Jackson and Jaci Smith snagged World Series all-tournament. Smith became a four-time World Series all-tournament selection.
In the early game Wednesday, Smith of the Stars set a World Series record by hammering three doubles. C.J. Browder of Reinhardt (Ga.) had been the last student-athlete to nail two doubles in a World Series game May 27, 2014.
Smith finished the season with 119 RBIs and 114 runs scored to break NAIA single-season records. Her 222 total bases broke OCU's single-season mark of 215 produced by Tracey Mosley in 1995 and finished two behind the NAIA single-season record of 224 by Christen Kirchner of Central Baptist (Ark.) in 2011. Smith's 29 doubles fell one shy of Kyndra Holasek's school record set in 2016, while her 28 home runs stopped one shy of equaling Mosley's OCU record of 29 hit in '95.
Jackson, a sophomore from Moore, Okla., scored 107 runs to rank second behind Smith on the NAIA's single-season list. Jackson's 112 hits placed her third among the best NAIA single-season hit totals. Her 57 stolen bases fell six shy of OCU's single-season record set by Cathy Hayes in 1989.
OCU broke a 2-2 tie with a two-out four-run rally in the fourth inning. Smith pounded an RBI double off the left-center field wall to put OCU on top 3-2.
Baileigh Loux crushed a two-run home run over the left-field wall. Gaby Zucchiatti poked a run-scoring single through the middle of the infield to give the Stars a 6-2 advantage.
Smith belted an RBI double to right-center field, and Shelby Riggs added an RBI double into the left-field corner for the final margin.
Loux and Julianne Abeloe had run-scoring base hits in the third to put the Stars ahead 2-0 in the third.
Smith, a senior from Godley, Texas, posted a 3-for-5 performance with two RBIs, while Loux, a sophomore from Reno, Nev., went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base, three RBIs and her 10th homer of the year.
Abeloe, a senior from Santa Paula, Calif., had a 2-for-3 showing with a run scored and run driven in, and Riggs, a redshirt freshman from Binger, Okla., went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Stars. Morgan McCallum, a junior from Mesquite, Texas, contributed a 2-for-5 performance.
NAIA Softball World Series
At Springfield, Mo.
Killian Sports Complex
All Times CDT
Thursday's Results
Mobile (Ala.) 3, Oregon Tech 2
Georgia Gwinnett 2, Vanguard (Calif.) 1
Friday's Results
Southern Oregon 4, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 3
Oklahoma City 4, Valley City State (N.D.) 0
Marian (Ind.) 2, Mobile 1
USAO 4, Georgia Gwinnett 1
Lindsey Wilson 2, Vanguard 0, Vanguard eliminated
Oregon Tech 7, Valley City State 1, Valley City St. eliminated
Saturday's Results
Southern Oregon 4, USAO 0
Oklahoma City 3, Marian 0
Lindsey Wilson 9, Mobile 1, Mobile eliminated
Georgia Gwinnett 5, Oregon Tech 1, Oregon Tech eliminated
Monday's Results
USAO 2, Lindsey Wilson 0, Lindsey Wilson eliminated
Georgia Gwinnett 1, Marian 0, Marian eliminated
Southern Oregon 4, Oklahoma City 2
Tuesday's Results
USAO 6, Georgia Gwinnett 1, Georgia Gwinnett eliminated
Oklahoma City 3, USAO 1, USAO eliminated
Wednesday's Results
Oklahoma City 8, Southern Oregon 4
Southern Oregon 8, Oklahoma City 3, championship
2019 All-World Series Team
Sarah Abramson, Oregon Tech
Emily Cerny, USAO
Courtney Elizey, Mobile (Ala.)
Taylor Hansis, Georgia Gwinnett
Kennedy Jackson, Oklahoma City
Holly Janco, Georgia Gwinnett
Paige Leeper, Southern Oregon
Olivia Mackey, Southern Oregon
Cassie Matlock, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
Annabelle Ramirez, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
Kristen Prieto, USAO
Lauren Quirke, Southern Oregon
Gabby Sandoval, Southern Oregon
Jaden Shores, Oklahoma City
Breena Smith, Marian (Ind.)
Jaci Smith, Oklahoma City
