KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Vanguard committed seven errors and enabled top-seeded Oregon Tech to score seven unearned runs in a pair of losses on Thursday to conclude the NAIA Softball Championship Opening Round at Stilwell Stadium.
The Lions fell by scores of 7-5 and 8-0, succumbing to the mercy rule in game two as the Lady Owls punched their ticket to the College World Series for the fifth straight year. Vanguard ended the season with a 42-13 record, posting the eighth-most victories in school history.
VU had its chances to eliminate Oregon Tech, needing just one win to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2019. The Lady Owls needed to defeat the Lions twice coming out of the losers bracket.
VU led 4-2 after two innings and was tied 5-5 after four, but made two costly errors that gifted OIT a pair of runs in the decisive fifth.
In game two, the Lions uncharacteristically committed a season-high five errors, leading to five unearned runs. VU's previous single-game high for errors was three.
Kamryn Walker and Ashley Klopfenstein collected a pair of hits each in game one, while Noni Chaves went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
First baseman Bianca Morales blasted a solo home run to get the Blue and Gold on the board in game one. It was her team-high tying fifth of the year and 18th of her career. She finished her VU career tied for second in home runs and ninth in hits (194).
Chaves and Adriana Portillo accounted for VU's only two hits in game two as Kacie Schmidt tossed a five-inning shutout with six strikeouts. Schmidt also logged 5.1 innings of four-hit, one-run relief in game one. She picked up the win in both games to improve to 25-7.
OIT scored 13 of the last 14 runs to close out the tournament.
Brianna Williams took the loss in game one after allowing five runs and nine hits in 3.1 innings. Mari Ipatzi pitched 3.2 effective relief innings, but gave up the two unearned runs after VU's defense broke down in the fifth.
LeeAnne Miranda made her first appearance since April 13, taking the loss in game two to fall to 3-3. Five of the seven runs she surrendered were unearned. Ipatzi made her second relief appearance of the afternoon and tossed 2.0 innings, giving up the final run that triggered the mercy rule in the OIT fifth.
VU won 14 of its final 17 games, captured its second straight Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament title and defeated four top-15 opponents over the last three weeks.
What Happened?
Game 1 – Oregon Tech 7, Vanguard 5
Jayce Seavert homered to lead off the second to give the Lady Owls a 1-0 lead. Maila Mick's double scored Addison Kachnik, who had singled and moved to second on Mckenzie Staub's sac bunt.
OIT took the early momentum, but VU grabbed it back after denting the scoreboard with four runs in the bottom half of the second. Morales sent a towering shot over the left field fence off Staub. With Klopfenstein on base following a one-out double, the Lions extended the inning as the OIT shortstop misplayed Amarah Farley's grounder for an error. Walker singled up the middle to plate Klopfenstein and knot the score at 2-2.
The Lions had runners on second and third as the Lady Owls replaced Staub with Schmidt in the circle. Chaves greeted her with a single to score both Farley and Walker as the Lions led 4-2.
Williams held OIT in check in the third, but the Lady Owls used a three-run fourth to take a 5-4 lead. Four consecutive hits with one out did the damage, with Kaila Mick's RBI single and a two-run double from Nita Cook chasing Williams from the game. Ipatzi got the next two OIT batters to ground out to keep the deficit to one.
VU's resiliency was on display in the bottom half of the fourth as Klopfenstein led off with a double. She advanced to third on Corral's sac bunt, and came home when the OIT right fielder dropped Farley's fly ball.
With the score tied 5-5, the Lions could not prevent OIT from responding in the fifth. This time, it was the VU right fielder who dropped a fly ball, allowing Kachnik to reach first with one out. Ipatzi got the second out, but the Lady Owls created a first and third opportunity on Marla Goodspeed's single.
Goodspeed took off for second on the next play, drawing a throw from VU catcher Mia Hernandez. The Lion second baseman intercepted the throw and attempted to nab Kachnik lurking off third. But her throw squirted past Portillo at third as Kachnik trotted in for the 6-5 lead. Maila Mick followed with an RBI base hit up the middle as OIT capitalized on two unearned runs.
VU managed just one hit over the final three innings off Schmidt. Corral singled with one out in the sixth, but was erased on a 4-6-3 double play.
Game 2 – Oregon Tech 8, Vanguard 0 (5)
The Lions fell apart defensively as OIT's first seven runs should have been all unearned, but only five were credited as such.
The tone was set from the get-go as Kaila Mick's single was misplayed by the VU left fielder, allowing her to advance to second. Klum's base hit scored Mick for OIT's first run.
The VU pitcher made two errant throws on routine grounders from Kachnik and Staub to begin the second. The misplay on Staub's sac bunt allowed the runners to land on second and third. Maila Mick's groundout and Kaila Mick's double scored OIT runs two and three as the Lions spotted the Lady Owls a 3-0 lead.
More mistakes compounded issues for the Lions as OIT again was gifted two runners in the third. Two straight errors by the VU third baseman enabled Puakea Milbourne and Klum to get aboard. Miranda's wild pitch but both runners in scoring position, and Seavert delivered a two-RBI single to increase the lead to 5-0.
Following Kachnik's ground out, which should have been the third out, Staub hit a two-run home run to left for a 7-0 OIT advantage. Ipatzi came in for Miranda and got the Lions out of the inning.
Schmidt set down nine straight Lions in between a double from Chaves in the first and Portillo's single in the fourth.
OIT ended the game in the fifth following a Seavert double, Kachnik single and Staub sac fly.
The Lions were shutout for just the third time all season.
