by OKLAHOMA CITY – The Drovers faced four teams in three days and played back-to-back NAIA Top 10 teams on their way to their first Sooner Athletic ConferenceTournament Championship.
After battling with the No. 1 Team in the nation and trailing 4-0 after three and a half innings, it was a six-run bottom of the fourth that gave the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (42-7) a 7-4 victory over Oklahoma City (52-4) to clinch Sooner Athletic Conference Championship.
“It feels great. My kids never gave up and never stopped,” USAO Head Coach Jadyn Wallis said. “When you have a team like this who pushes, shoves and claws their way through, you have a chance to win every game.”
With the win, the USAO Drovers secure the automatic bid to the 2015 NAIA Softball National Championship tournament. Opening round seedings and location will be announced next week.
This is the Drovers’ first SAC Tournament title in school history and USAO became just the third school to take it in tournament history. OCU has claimed 16 of the last 17 conference tournament titles and former SAC foe Lubbock Christian took the other.
USAO won the regular season conference title, however, back in 2004.
“We are going to continue to win conference titles,” Wallis said. “It won’t be the last one we win.”
It was truly a team effort and assistant coach Ken Richardson, who has been with the team since 2006, enjoyed every minute of the win.
“I told this team early that there was something special about this team and there is,” Richardson said. “We have went a long way with what we have had and everyone played their role and did a great job.”
Summer Leitka (30-3) went the distance and broke the single-season record for wins by a pitcher with 30 at USAO. It was her 25th complete game on the year.
Despite her best efforts, the Drover had to climb to the win from four runs behind. But this team seemed not to struggle as a six-run fourth put them on top.
To start of the bottom of the fourth inning, the Drovers loaded the bases with one out, and Ciara Kuestersteffen drew a bases loaded walk to grab run No. 1 for USAO; the run was scored by Tate Landmark.
Sevie Carel was the next batter and reached on a hard hit ball, which was ruled an error by OCU’s shortstop as it went under her legs. The play scored Shania Beck, who had used a 15-pitch at bat to get a walk to reach.
McKenna Eubank would tie the ball game up with a single to the right side to drive in her two runs of the game to make it a new ball game for USAO. The single scored Kuestersteffen and Kayla Adams.
Kaylin Taylor drove the winning run with a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher’s circle to score Mikaela Bray, who pinch ran for Carel to take the lead for good.
Before the inning expired, Dani Warren singled up the middle to score Eubank to extend the 6-4 lead for the Drovers.
In the next inning, Kuestersteffen grabbed an insurance run by hitting a single to score Shannon Boe, who pinch ran for Courtney Capps, who reached on a walk.
Currently as the No. 13-ranked team in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll and an automatic bid, USAO will find out next Thursday where they will be traveling for the opening round.
