Drovers Fall Short in SAC Tournament Championship Game Against OCU
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Oklahoma City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
|
Science and Arts | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Saturday night, the No. 1 seeded University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (47-9, 33-3 SAC) suffered a tough 6-1 loss in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship against No. 2 seed Oklahoma City University (47-7, 32-4 SAC).
The game began with a pair of scoreless innings, prior to USAO claiming the first lead with one run in the bottom of the third. However, the Stars responded with a trio of runs in the top of the fourth inning. OCU scored their final three runs in the top of the seventh before closing out the game.
As a team, the Drovers offense produced four hits and drew four walks, while the Stars tallied nine hits and drew one walk. OCU was unblemished defensively, while USAO committed one fielding error.
Jayden Anderson pitched the first 3.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits, followed by Aubree Ferguson for the final 4.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
The USAO offense was led by Lilyana Portillo's 2-2 performance at the plate, which included a walk and a run batted in. Malea McMurtrey and Jordan Ramsay each singled in the loss.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Drovers will once again be a host for the 2026 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round from May 11-14 at Bill Smith Ballpark. The national tournament appearance is the 13th in program history, including a current run of nine consecutive appearances.
The hosting bid is the sixth in a row for the Drovers, with Bethany College (Kan.) emerging victorious and advanced to the World Series in 2021, followed by USAO winning and advancing to the World Series in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Grand View (Iowa) advanced to the world series out of our bracket last season.
Before the action begins on the field, the full 48-team national championship field will be unveiled live on the PlayNAIA YouTube channel at 5 p.m. CT on May 6, giving teams and fans their first look at the road to the title.
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