OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University ousted Mount Mercy (Iowa) 5-2 on Tuesday at Ann Lacy Stadium in the NAIA Softball Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket.
Midland (Neb.) edged the fifth-ranked Stars 2-1 earlier Tuesday. Oklahoma City (47-10) squares off with Midland at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the NAIA Championship Opening Round title game.
The Stars can reach the NAIA Softball World Series with two victories Wednesday, while Midland could advance to the World Series on May 25-31 in Columbus, Ga., with a win in the 1 p.m. game Wednesday. OCU seeks its 34th trip to the NAIA Softball World Series.
Against Mount Mercy, OCU got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Lexi Duff's bunt hit allowed Kaitlyn Jones to reach home plate. Analise Rayburn belted an RBI triple to right field with two outs.
Amy Crabaugh drew a walk with the bases full, and Rayburn scored on Grace Pollon's grounder in the fourth. Jones scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.
Jones, a senior from Edmond, Okla., studying biomedical sciences, turned in a 3-for-4 performance with two doubles and two runs scored. Rayburn, a freshman from Yukon, Okla., majoring in business administration, went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Mason, a senior nursing major from Lone Grove, Okla., was 2-for-3, while Duff, a senior biomedical sciences major from Lone Grove, Okla., posted a 2-for-4 showing with an RBI.
Shelbey Cornelson struck out eight. Cornelson, a senior from Tuttle, Okla., majoring in exercise science, improved to 27-4 on the year.
In the early game, Keira Painter scored Midland's winning run with two outs in the top of the seventh inning as Cornelson's pitch got past Crabaugh. Painter became the second runner to reach third base in the contest for Midland.
Garvie pounded an RBI double into right-center field with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Radacy broke up Aliyah Rincon's no-hit bid by nailing a double to right-center with one out. Radacy raced home on Garvie's double.
Rincon limited OCU to two hits while striking out four. Cornelson kept Midland to an earned run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
