IRVINE, Calif. – Two of the top-ranked teams in NCAA DII softball squared off on a chilly Thursday with plans to prove themselves worthy of their Top 25 rankings.
Both No. 14 Concordia and No. 25 Northwest Nazarene did just that and walked away with a split in a doubleheader that both teams were thankful to play after rain had ravaged the region in recent days.
Two Golden Eagles smashed their first home runs of the season, a senior pitcher earned her second win of the year with a complete game and a freshman came up huge in a big spot to help Concordia finish the day on a high note.
No. 25 NNU 6, No. 14 CUI 1 (11 innings)
The opener was a pitcher's duel that nearly matched Sunday's game as the longest in the NCAA DII era for the CUI softball program.
Concordia's All-American pitcher
Katlin Entrup and NNU's All-American candidate Sidney Booth pitched absolute gems in game one, with both pitching into extra innings.
Entrup only allowed one unearned run in her first 10 innings of work. Meanwhile, Booth took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
But Concordia's shortstop had other plans.
Rylie Rohr tied the game with a clutch solo shot off Booth in the bottom of the seventh to extend the contest in dramatic fashion. In the process, Rohr climbed closer to the school record for most career home runs (42) and now has 37 in a Concordia uniform.
The teams traded various opportunities to scratch across the game-winning run, but Entrup and Booth kept navigating their way out of trouble. Entrup finished with 11 strikeouts while Booth racked up nine K's. Entrup also struck out the final batter of the eighth, ninth and tenth innings – all with a runner in scoring position each time.
Northwest Nazarene capitalized on a couple miscues to score five unearned runs in the 11th and lock down the victory.
No. 14 CUI 3, No. 25 NNU 2
Another low-scoring contest awaited everyone in game two. Senior
Cortney Koelmans tossed a masterpiece and went the distance, allowing only two RBI doubles by Clarissa Moreno.
Koelmans struck out eight and only allowed eight hits on the day. She improved to 2-1 and was in control in the circle.
Shelli Faulk provided a big boost when she parked her first home run of the season over the trees in left field. That blast tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth.
With extra innings looming, CUI capitalized in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back hits by Rohr and then
Tessa Jerue to claim the nightcap, 3-2.
Jerue smacked the game-winning hit to right field to plate the final run of the game.
The Golden Eagles are slated to return to action against nationally ranked Adelphi next Saturday, Feb. 17 in a home doubleheader that starts at 12:00 p.m. on campus. Both CUI and Adelphi both began the season tied in the national rankings at No. 14 in the NFCA DII Preseason Poll
Concordia's scheduled doubleheader on Friday at Cal State Dominguez Hills is postponed due to field conditions.
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