ONU CONCLUDES THE CCAC TOURNAMENT WITH A RUNNER-UP FINISH AND EARNS AUTOMATIC BID TO THE NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OPENING ROUND

CROWN POINT, Ind. – The Olivet Nazarene University softball team concluded play in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament on Monday afternoon at the Crown Point Sportsplex. 

The Tigers won a highly-contested first game, 1-0, while shutting out the Fighting Saints of the University of St. Francis, 9-0, in five innings, in the second game of the day.  The Cougars of Saint Xavier University then shutout the Tigers in the Championship game, 12-0, to conclude the tournament. 

Game One: ONU 1 CSU 0

The Tigers sent Kori Fricke to the circle to start the first game of the day.  The Tiger right-hander worked 5.1 innings and surrendered five hits and notched one strikeout.  Emily Blucker earned her eighth win in the circle pitching the final 1.2 innings and struck out three batters. 

The two teams were stuck in a pitcher's duel throughout.  The Wolves had an early opportunity to take the lead in the game.  In the top of the second inning, the Wolves had runners at the corners with nobody out.  Fricke then induced a pair of fielder's choice groundouts and another groundout to get out of the inning. 

Neither team had a golden opportunity to score until the Tigers finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Matti Lanie led off the inning with a bunt single and advanced to second on an errant throw by the CSU catcher.  With two outs, Megan Mann split the right field gap and drove-in the eventual game-winning run.  The Tigers led, 1-0. 

Blucker sent the Wolves down in order including tallying a pair of strikeouts, in the top of the seventh, as the Tigers hung on and defeated the Cardinal Stritch Wolves, 1-0. 

Game Two: ONU 9, USF 0 F/5

The Tigers sent Fricke back to the circle for the second game of the day.  Fricke went the distance and only allowed one hit and struck out a batter.  Fricke earned her 17th win of the season in the circle. 

The Tigers barreled up Fighting Saint pitching in the bottom of the first.  After Lanie walked to open the inning, Oshiro doubled her home.  After a Dobson single, Mann continued her impressive day with an RBI single making the score, 2-0.  Later in the inning, Faith Mikos platted Dobson on a sacrifice fly and Fricke drove in Mann on an RBI single making the score, 4-0.  With the bases loaded, later in the inning, Kate Landis came across to score on a fielder's choice and Lanie doubled home a pair.  The Tigers led, 7-0.  Oshiro then concluded the scoring for the Tigers with a run-scoring single.  ONU jumped out to an 8-0 lead. 

The Tigers added another run in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Mikos making the score, 9-0. Fricke only gave up a single to Massaro of St. Francis as the Tigers advanced to the CCAC Championship game winning, 9-0.  With the win, the Tigers earned their third-straight NAIA National Championship Opening Round berth.   

Game Three: Saint Xavier 12, ONU 0 F/5

Head Coach Hannah Gardner sent Fricke out to the circle for the CCAC Championship game.  Fricke did not get out of the first inning and Blucker came into the game and worked the remaining 4.2 innings. The Cougars jumped all over Tiger pitching throughout the game as they scored four runs in the first, five in the second, one in the third, and two in the fourth as they led, 12-0.  Lanie and Dobson combined for the three Tiger hits as the Cougars won the CCAC Championship, 12-0. 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Zoe Oshiro

Emily Blucker

Kori Fricke

Faith Mikos

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers (33-13-1) await their NAIA World Series Opening Round destination and opponent which will be announced via Facebook on Tuesday, May 10th at 4 p.m. CST. 

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu