Courtesy of Midland Athletics
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Playing in the NAIA Softball World Series for the second time in three seasons, Midland University faced a familiar foe in Grand View University on Thursday morning. The two Midwestern teams met for the third time this season, this time in the tournament’s opening game at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Georgia. The eighth-seeded Vikings took advantage of four early errors by the ninth-seeded Warriors, propelling them to an 8-3 victory.
Grand View plated one run in the first inning off a walk and a two-out single. In the second, the Vikings tacked on four more runs, capitalizing on two Midland errors.
The Warriors got on the board in the third as Ariyana Crafton led off with a walk. Matti Reiling followed with a one-out single, and Isabelle Pagan drove in Crafton with an RBI single to right field.
After surrendering two more runs in the fourth, Midland added one run in both the fifth and sixth innings. Kamdyn Barrientos drove in Reiling with a single, and Sophie De Rouinscored on a double-steal attempt the following frame to cut the deficit to 7-3.
Grand View added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, then worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh to seal the win.
Campbell Petrick started in the circle for Midland and battled through illness, going two innings and allowing four earned runs on four hits to take the loss. Paeton Coler pitched the final four innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out one.
Statistical Standouts
- Matti Reiling: 2-for-3, R, BB
- Isabelle Pagan: 3-for-3, RBI, BB, 2B
- Kamdyn Barrientos: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
- Jenna Lemley: 2-for-3, 2B
- Sophie De Rouin: 1-for-3, R
“I thought we settled in after the first few innings and started playing the way we like to play, which is fast and free,” said head coach Beth Singleton. “The early miscues allowed Grand View to turn their hits into runs and put us in a hole. When we’re not chasing runs, we are a much better team. We’ve proven that we’re one of the top teams, with only ten still playing. We need to get a good rest, get hydrated, and then come out tomorrow and see what happens.”
Midland (40-17) will return to the diamond Friday for an elimination game against either fourth-seeded Oklahoma City or fifth-seeded Central Methodist. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET in Columbus.
