Softball Sneaks By Hope to Advance to NAIA Opening Round Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hope International | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
|
Our Lady of the Lake | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 1 | 1 | 0 |
SAN ANTONIO (May 14, 2024) - The No. 1-ranked Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) softball squad downed Hope International University (HIU) 1-0 in the semifinals of the San Antonio Bracket in the NAIA Opening Round. The Saints advance to the championship game and are now 52-3 on the season. The Royals drop to 36-16 overall.
History
The Saints were 2-1 against the Royals prior to the game.
Basics
The fourth game of the NAIA Opening Round was a pitching battle. The contest was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning. Cassandra Valdez walked and stole second base with Madison Garza due up next. Garza put down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher to advance Valdez to third. Valdez used aggressive baserunning to come all the way home to score the only run of the game. The Royals had four more hits than the Saints but were unable to score. Valdez pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts. Alyssa Flores marked OLLU's lone hit.
Hear from Head Coach Bruce Lenington.
Up next
The Saints face HIU in the championship game tomorrow at noon. OLLU will need to win once to claim the title, while the Royals will need two victories.