[Softball] Softball Falcons Drop Heartbreaker to Top Seed Ottawa in KCAC Tournament
Great Bend, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons had their six-game KCAC tournament winning streak snapped in heartbreaking fashion today (May 6) to the top-seeded Ottawa University Braves at the Great Bend Sports Complex in Great Bend, Kan.
The Falcons carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, looking to hand the Braves their only three losses to a KCAC opponent this season.
But the inning started perilously as singles by Aly Pickering and Allison Kearney were followed by a walk to Lyndsey Loomis.
Following a sacrifice fly by Bunfill that tied the score, the Falcons managed to cut down the tying run at the plate when Kearney attempted to score on a fielder's choice.
But the ensuing batter Justyse Rodriguez hit a ball to third that was ruled a hit to bring home Loomis with the game-winning run.
The Falcons had snapped a 2-2 gridlock in the sixth as Hannah Lang (JR/Topeka, Kan. ) led off with a single and was driven home on a two-out single by Makenna Mitchell (SO/Orange County, Calif. ).
Bunfill also put the Braves on top early with a two-run, two-out double in the bottom of the first.
Aleigha Gale (FR/Winfield, Kan. ) helped the Falcons chip away with a single in the third and stealing her KCAC-leading 27th base of the season before scoring on a single by Kat Davis (JR/Keller, Texas).
Gale then contributed again with an RBI single that plated Gianna Tijerina (SO/Fort Lupton, Colo. ) to tie the game in the fourth inning.
Offensively, Gale and Davis each had two hits for the Falcons, while Pickering went 3-of-4 at the plate for Ottawa.
Hali Walters (SR/Longmont, Colo.) struck out seven and allowed four runs in her 6.2 innings of work for Friends. Casson Rasmussen surrendered three runs with five strikeouts over seven frames for the Braves.
The third-seeded Falcons will now play an elimination game tomorrow morning (May 7) at 11 am vs. sixth-seeded Avila University. Avila won three one-run games today over Sterling College, Tabor College and McPherson College to stay alive in the tourney.
It'll be a rematch from the Falcons' first game of the tournament that they came out on top of 2-1. With a win, the Falcons then must defeat Ottawa twice to win the tournament, with the first tilt taking place at 1:30 pm tomorrow.