Saints Fall to Marian in Their First Game of NAIA World Series

COLUMBUS, GA. (May 26, 2023) – The NAIA No.2-ranked Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) softball team fell to Marian University (MU) 6-3 in the NAIA World Series on Friday. The No. 2 seed Saints drop to the consolation bracket while the No. 7 seed Knights move on in the winner's bracket.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, "We had a great battle tonight against another 50-win team and the atmosphere in the stadium was electric. This loss gives us another opportunity to show how resilient we are."

Basics

The Saints battled Marian in the first NAIA World Series game in Saints history. Cassandra Valdez started in the circle for OLLU. The Knights took the lead in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly to score the runner from third base. Madison Garza had an impressive throw to home plate from left field and the runner barely beat the tag of Joanna Gonzalez. The Saints rallied and battled back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Alyssa Flores and Kristee Salas both hit singles to bring in runs and the Saints went up 2-1. The Knights offense came to life in the sixth inning by putting up five runs, including a grand slam with two outs. The Saints made noise in the final inning when Madison Nunn scored on a fielding error. OLLU loaded the bases with two outs and Valdez came up to bat. She grounded out to shortstop to end the game and the Knights prevailed 6-3. Valdez totaled six strikeouts and Angela Ramirez faced one batter in relief.

Preview vs. Midland University

The Saints take on No. 10 seed Midland University in an elimination game tomorrow at noon Central Time. OLLU played Midland three times this season and won two of the matchups. The Warriors defeated No. 6 seed University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma 3-2 in extra innings to stay alive in the tournament. Midland moved to 40-14 on the season.