Heartland Conference

SAN ANTONIO – It was another one-run affair as Oklahoma Christian edged Lubbock Christian to win the 2019 Heartland Conference Softball Championship Tournament title, the first in the program’s history. The game was the seventh in the eight-game tournament to be decided by one run, which is the most in a conference tournament in Heartland history.
 
Bridgette White came home on a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the title for Oklahoma Christian. One batter earlier with the bases loaded Lubbock Christian staved off the final blow with the force out at home to bring White to the plate.
 
White also brought in the game-tying run in the fifth inning with an RBI single to right field that brought home Brie Dunckel. For the game White went 3-for-4 with a two RBI and a run scored.
 
Lubbock Christian struck first in the top of the second as Morgan Dufour brought home two runners with an RBI single back up the middle scoring KK Lopez-Liu and Christiana Saenz.
 
LCU pitcher Amber Carlton who pitched 5.0 innings didn’t allow a hit through two innings, but in the third Dunckel got to her with a single to right in the bottom half of the inning before she eventually came around to score and close the gap to 2-1. OC struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Sierra Schultz’s double down the line brought home Lindsey Stoeckel.
 
The Lady Chaps retook the lead in the fifth Alivia Villarreal singled through the right side to bring home Megan Darling and give LCU a 3-2 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, White single to right tied the game again.
 
Kayla Eichler stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and one out before Jordan Wehr’s 2-1 wild pitch ended the game.
 
With the win, Oklahoma Christian clinches the automatic berth to the NCAA South Central Regional next week.
 
2019 Heartland Conference Softball All-Tournament Team

MVP - Brie Dunckel, Oklahoma Christian
C - Abigail Taylor, Rogers State
INF - Raynelle Nash, St. Mary's
INF - Lindzi Clemmer, Lubbock Christian
INF - Alivia Villarreal, Lubbock Christian
INF - Heather Ruiz, Texas A&M International
OF - Maddison Schofield, Texas A&M International
OF - Lindsey Stoeckel, Oklahoma Christian
OF - Lindsey Smith, Texas A&M International
P - Amber Carlton, Lubbock Christian
P - Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian
UTL - Staci Johns, St. Mary's
DP - Kayla Eichler, Oklahoma Christian