Incarnate Word Coach Todd Bradley said it best Friday night after watching his Cardinals drop a 3-1 decision in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional softball tournament.
“When two good teams are battling,” Bradley said, “all it takes is one break and Central Oklahoma got it.”
The win sends second-seeded and host UCO (40-5) to the second round to face Emporia State on Saturday in the first game. Emporia State earlier had edged Abilene Christian 1-0. Incarnate Word and ACU will meet in the loser's bracket at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The tournament is double-elimination with the championship game set for Sunday in Edmond, Okla.
Down 1-0 going into the bottom the sixth the Broncos got that break on the first hitter who reached on catcher's interference. A bunt single put two runners on before an attempted bunt resulted in a force out at third. A single to left loaded the sacks bringing UCO's Megan Whitmire to the plate. She laced a one ball-two strike pitch to the left center field wall which cleared the bases and that was the game.
“I thought we played fairly well for the most part,” Bradley said. “We hit the ball hard but right at someone and we had the lead into the sixth. It was a well-pitched game on both sides.”
UIW got the game's first tally in the top of the fifth. Monica Acuna led off with a free pass. With Taylor Johnson running in Acuna's stead, Sarah Holub bunted her to second. Taylor got to third on a ground out by Chelsea Muskopf before Ashley Freeman singled to center field driving Johnson home.
At that point Briana Sanchez was sailing along giving up but two hits before the three unearned runs appeared in the sixth. Falling to 17-11 for the season Sanchez allowed five hits total while walking one and striking out one. Of her 77 total pitches 50 were for strikes.
On the other side of the ledger UCO's Rachael Steverson was the winner and improved to 22-5.
The Cardinals missed a golden opportunity in the third when they loaded the bases on two of their total three hits combined with a base on balls. But with two out an infield groundout saved the day for the Broncos.
Irony did not hold up this time for Incarnate Word. A week ago the Cardinals were seeded seventh for the Lone Star Conference tournament. In game one UIW defeated the number two team on the way to the championship. The setting in Oklahoma was the same, seven versus two, but this time the outcome was different.
UIW 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 -- 1 3 3
UCO 0 0 0 0 0 3 x -- 3 5 1
Briana Sanchez and Sarah Holub. Rachael Steverson and Nathalie Timmermans. WP—Steverson (40-5). LP—Sanchez (17-11).
Time: 1:30. Attendance: 300
