IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine softball team won its NCAA DII regional bracket on Saturday after fending off the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in their second meeting of the day.
Despite a RBI single in the matinee from Concordia's
Jocelyn Pino, NNU earned a 3-1 victory to force the deciding extra game in the double-elimination tournament.
The Golden Eagles rebounded well and responded with a 3-1 win to knock out the Nighthawks and advance to Thursday's Super Regional against Cal State San Marcos.
In that deciding game, shortstop
Rylie Rohr provided one of the most exciting moments of the entire week as she smacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to push CUI ahead 2-1.
The PacWest Conference leader in long balls for two straight seasons, Rohr has now smashed 17 home runs this year. That is a career-high number and also tied for fifth-most all-time in one season in the CUI softball record books.
"I didn't want this to be the seniors last game," said Rohr. "We've worked really hard to put this together this season and it's just really awesome to be able to continue to compete for a National Championship."
Rohr also moved into a tie for fifth place in the records books with 36 career home runs. Olympian Amanda Fama and Amy Eilefson share the CUI program record with 42.
After Rohr gave Concordia the lead,
Missy Nemeth added an insurance run by scoring
Jocelyn Pino on a sharp RBI single to right field. Pino slid home safely just ahead of the relay throw to make it 3-1 Golden Eagles.
Callie Nunes was also a huge part of the clinching victory. No. 9 struck out nine batters in 4.1 innings and helped carry CUI to the finish line.
Sydney Sprinkle made a nifty sliding catch near the NNU dugout on a foul pop up to snag the final out of the seventh inning and seal the deal.
With this win, Nunes moved into sole possession of the CUI school record for most career wins! Nunes now has amassed 82 career victories in the circle and passes Natalie Brown who had 81 in her esteemed career.
Nunes already owns the program records for career saves (15 and counting) and career strikeouts (796 after the completion of this regional tournament).
"Our pitchers have been unbelievable all year," said CUI head coach
Crystal Rosenthal.
The NCAA DII Super Regional will be played Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19 and is a best-of-three-series. Concordia is projected to host as the top seed in the West Region and the official bracket announcement will be made Monday.
Stay tuned to our
@cuigoldeneagles Instagram account and also
@cuigoldeneagles on Twitter for updates for the upcoming game times and location.
CLICK HERE for the updated CUI softball schedule
CLICK HERE for the updated Tournament Central Page from the 2023 West Regional
