IRVINE, Calif. – Wednesday turned out to feature two drastically different games on the final day of the regular season for the PacWest Conference softball champs.
Already locked into the No. 1 seed at the upcoming PacWest Conference Tournament, No. 17 Concordia bounced back after a rough first game against Biola to dominate the rematch.
CUI won the series 3-1 and finished the regular season with a sterling 24-4 record in conference play. Meanwhile, Biola kept its chances of making the postseason alive and needs just one win against Azusa Pacific this Saturday to make the conference tournament over the host school, Dominican.
It is likely that CUI and Biola could face each other again in the first game of the double-elimination tournament next week in San Rafael. APU and Hawaii Hilo have clinched two of the other three spots.
Game 1: Biola 11, No. 17 CUI 1 (5 innings)
The first game of the day was practically a perfect script – for Biola on their Senior Day.
For the Golden Eagles, it was just one of those games where you have to shake it off and look to bounce back in the next one.
Biola built a 5-0 lead after two innings and scored six times in the third to run away with a mercy victory in just five frames. Raylene Roybal also pitched well and limited CUI's offense to only four hits.
Senior outfielder
Virginia Nemeth got Concordia on the board in the top of the second. After
Michalah Robison reached base on a single, she moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Nemeth knocked her home with a RBI double to the gap in left.
Game 2: No. 17 CUI 2, Biola 0
After six scoreless innings in the nightcap, two long blasts were enough offense to get Concordia back into the win column and cement the 3-1 series victory over their rivals from Biola.
Rylie Rohr added to her school record for career home runs when she sent a solo shot over the wall to lead off the seventh inning. That's career home run No. 44 now for No. 33 in the Green and Gold.
Two batters later,
Jocelyn Pino sent a screamer across the fence to double the lead for CUI.
Cortney Koelmans put her finishing touches on a fantastic regular season by improving to 18-4 with a three-hit complete game shutout. She struck out four batters and only walked one.
It is the ninth complete game of her career and the fourth shutout she has tossed this season.
She had four 1-2-3 innings and only allowed three singles. Biola was not able to string together multiple hits in any inning.
ON DECK
Concordia will next face either Biola or Dominican on the first day of the PacWest Conference Tournament next Wednesday, May 1 up in San Rafael. Dominican needs to win both of its remaining games against Academy of Art to have a chance to pass Biola for the No. 4 seed. Biola needs to win just one of its last two with APU to get in.
The Golden Eagles also came out ranked no. 3 in the West Region rankings behind Western Washington and Northwest Nazarene. All three of those teams are ranked nationally in the NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Marcos round out the top five.
APU was the only other PacWest softball team among the Top 10 and is currently No. 9 behind Saint Martin's and Sonoma State. The top 8 teams in the regional rankings (including the three automatic bid winners from the PacWest, GNAC and CCAA) make the regional brackets in May.
CLICK HERE for the updated PacWest softball standings
CLICK HERE for the full CUI softball schedule
