SALEM, Virginia—The Chico State softball team's dream of winning a national title came to an end Friday at the NCAA Championship Finals, as the Wildcats came within a whisker of a miraculous seventh inning comeback, only to fall to Southern Arkansas 12-11 at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia. The loss officially eliminated the Wildcats from the eight-team tournament featuring the top Division II softball teams in the country.
It also brought an unwanted end to a season that saw Chico State post a final win-loss record of 55-6. The Wildcats easily eclipsed the program's single-season wins mark (the previous record was 40), and included 23 victories without a loss on their home turf, University Softball Field.
An excited group of Wildcats celebrate at home plate following one of
Bailey Akins' two home runs against Southern Arkansas.
Friday the 'Cats pounded out 10 hits against Southern Arkansas, with Cyrena Taylor and Bailey Akins each delivering a pair of knocks. Both of Akins' hits were home runs, as she scored three times and knocked in four runs on the evening.
Chico State scored the first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the second inning. A two-out walk to Akins, a single by Megan Bowley and a free pass to Wendy Cardinali loaded the bases, and Kristin Worley worked a walk to force home Akins. Southern Arkansas answered in the top of the third, tying the contest on an RBI double by Brooke Goad and later in the frame taking a 4-1 lead on run-scoring singles by Jill Roye, Marina Duran and Sarah Pitre.
The 'Cats roared back in the bottom of the third to re-take the lead. Chico State loaded the bases, and with Akins at the plate, pinch-runner Shelby Burdette came home on a wild pitch. Akins promptly cleared the bases with a line shot over the left field fence—her program-record 15th home run of the year drove in three and put the Wildcats back on top 5-4.
Chico State added to its advantage in the bottom of the fourth. Breanna Martin led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a Taylor line drive that was mishandled by Southern Arkansas shortstop Monica Islava. Sam Mulock, taking over in the pitcher's circle for Haley Gilham in the third inning, kept the Muleriders' explosive offense in check through the fifth, retiring seven straight batters.
Haley Gilham struck out six in the final game of her
Chico State career.
Southern Arkansas broke through in a big way in the top of the sixth inning, using a base hit and three walks to pull to within a run. With the bases loaded, Faith Otts lined a double to dead center field to drive in two and put the Muleriders back in front. Southern Arkansas scored again on a fielder's choice, and the four-run uprising put the Muleriders back in the driver's seat 8-6.
Down but not out, the Wildcats pulled to within 8-7 when Taylor doubled home Worley, but Chico State left the tying run at third.
Southern Arkansas appeared to put the game away for good in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Megan Godoyo launched a Gilham offering over the center field fence—the grand slam pushing the Muleriders' lead to 12-7.
Even down to their last three outs, the Wildcats continued to fight and refused to go quietly. Akins ripped her second home run of the game, a solo shot to right-center field. Bowley and Cardinali both reached on errors, and when Worley's hard-hit grounder was booted by Pitre at second base, pinch-runner Annie Weiss scored to make it a 12-9 ballgame.
Ari Marsh followed with a double to left-center field to chase home Cardinali and Worley to cut the deficit to one, then advanced to third on a base hit by Taylor. The tying run was now just 60 feet away, and the 'Cats needed just one more clutch hit to keep their season alive.
That one hit never came. Karli Skowrup grounded out to the pitcher, and Claire Wayne popped out to third base to end it, giving Southern Arkansas the wild 12-11 win and putting an abrupt halt to the Wildcats' dream season
.
Wendy Cardinali scores during Chico State's four-run rally in the bottom
of the seventh inning.
Though it didn't include a national championship, the 2018 edition of the Wildcats did bring home the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season and conference championship tournament banners, along with the NCAA West Region trophy, resulting in Chico State making the program's first NCAA Championship Finals appearance in 16 years.
Statistically, the 'Cats achieved things that no other Chico State team in the preceding 49 years had ever accomplished. The 'Cats not only broke, but smashed single-season team records: besides the 55 wins, the Chico State offense set new team standards in batting average (.320), home runs (64), runs scored (374), hits (515), doubles (87), runs batted in (334), slugging percentage (.505), and walks (259), while the pitching staff cracked the record books by registering the most shutouts (24) and saves (8) in a season.
Beyond the sheer numbers, though, this was a TEAM in every sense of the word. Every player possessed a sincere love and respect for her teammates, and the Wildcats always shared in their numerous successes as a unit. Team 50 may have come up short of its ultimate goal, but what they left between the chalk lines will be remembered by Chico State softball fans for years to come.
Other NCAA Championship Finals Friday results:
No. 8 Southern Indiana 3, No. 4 Angelo State 0
Just a day after shutting out the No. 1 team in the nation in North Georgia, Southern Indiana's Jennifer Leonhardt tossed a no-hitter to lead the Screaming Eagles past the Rambelles in the day's opening winner's bracket game. Only a second inning walk prevented Leonhardt from posting a perfect game. Southern Indiana scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, courtesy of a two-run single by Caitlyn Bradley and an RBI single by Allison Schubert. The Screaming Eagles, now 2-0 in the NCAA Championship Finals and 38-23 on the year, advances to face the North Georgia/Saint Leo winner Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time. San Angelo, now 53-4 on the season, faces Southern Arkansas Saturday in a 5:30 a.m. Pacific elimination game.
No. 2 Saint Anselm 4, No. 6 Saint Leo 3
The Hawks won their second straight NCAA Championship Finals contest, and they did it in dramatic fashion. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Saint Anselm tied the game on an RBI single by Megan Murrell. The next batter, Shannon Colson, laid down a perfect bunt down the first base line to plate Maggie Murphy with the winning run. Saint Anselm, 43-10-1 overall, awaits the winner of Saturday's Angelo State/Southern Arkansas elimination game.
No. 1 North Georgia 4, No. 5 West Chester 0
The top-ranked Nighthawks rebounded from Thursday's opening-round loss to eliminate the Golden Rams. North Georgia went up 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning on an Alishia Frierson RBI single, a run-scoring double by Jordan Deep and a two-run double by Brittany Gilliam, and that was more than enough offense for All-American righthander Kylee Smith, who won her 36th game of the season as the Nighthawks improved to 62-3 on the year. North Georgia now faces Saint Leo Saturday in a 5:30 a.m. elimination game. West Chester, the first team to exit the NCAA Championship Finals, ends the season with an overall record of 45-15.
