NAMPA, Idaho. – With their backs up against the wall, the Concordia University Irvine softball team tangled with Saint Martin's in the first elimination game of the day at the DII West Regional tournament.
Missy Nemeth gave Concordia the early lead with a RBI single in the top of the first.
Kaia Nisby scored to get the Golden Eagles on the board.
However, the Saints quickly responded with a flurry of hits in their half of the first inning. Saint Martin's collected seven runs before the Golden Eagles could record the first out in an unexpected string of hits.
Senior shortstop
Rylie Rohr made a handful of impressive plays including snaring a liner and making a diving stop for a key out.
The Golden Eagles got one run back in the top of the third inning when
Shelby Pfeiler grounded into a double play.
CUI was able to put two runners in scoring position in the fifth with one out. Unfortunately, Saint Martin's was able to wiggle out of that jam unscathed.
Then in the sixth, the Golden Eagles loaded the bases with two outs after back-to-back-back singles by freshman
Audrey Robles, senior
Virginia Nemeth and
PacWest Freshman of the Year Jessica Im. But again, the Saints were able to dodge any further damage and CUI could not get those runs home to cut further into the lead.
Saint Martin's went on to close it out with an 8-2 victory and advanced to face the host Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in the second elimination game of the day.
This was the sixth consecutive appearance in the regional for the nationally ranked Golden Eagles. The PacWest Champions have made it to the postseason every full season since being eligible in the NCAA DII Era. This also marked the second straight year that CUI won the PacWest Conference Tournament.
Concordia closes the season with an overall record of 39-14. Head coach Crystal Rosenthal and associate coach Rose Imbriano have combined for 693 career victories over the past decade and a half, the most for any Concordia University Irvine program.
CLICK HERE for the updated CUI softball schedule
CLICK HERE to go to the Regional Tournament Central page
CLICK HERE for the full NCAA DII Softball Bracket
