COLUMBUS, Ga. – No.17 Oregon Tech entered Wednesday's World Series Championship games needing just one win over No. 1 ranked Southern Oregon University to claim the national title. Things didn't go as planned for the Owls as they dropped game 1, 3-2, leaving the tying run on third base in the 7^th, then dropped the tiebreaking game 7-5 in 9-innings after rallying for 4-runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra-innings, only to lose in the 9^th and settle for national runner-up at the South Commons Softball Complex.
 
"Those were two really tough losses tonight but I was proud of the way our team battled to the end," said head coach Greg Stewart. "I could not ask for a better group of players and assistant coaches to work with this season. I am so proud of all the hard work and effort they all put into making Oregon Tech Softball one of the best programs in the country," Stewart added.
 
Game 1 Southern Oregon 3 Oregon Tech 2
 
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, SOU strung together three infield hits. The last, off Lauren Quirke's bat, scored Avery Morehead-Hutsell for the go-ahead run and was followed by Riley Donovan's line-drive single to right field that pushed the lead to 3-1.
 
McKenna Armantrout's RBI single trimmed the Owls' deficit in half and Kaila Mick got plunked to put the potential tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position for the Owls. However Gabby Sandoval got Aubrie Businger to pop out with the bases loaded, ending the Tech rally and the game as Sandoval picked up the win to move to 32-4 on the season.
 
Tech's Sarah Abramson pitched well, but was the hard luck loser dropping to 29-5 on the season.
 
Game 2 Southern Oregon 7 Oregon Tech 5 (9-innings)
 
Riley Donovan hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning and Southern Oregon University recovered from an Oregon Tech rally that sent the game into extra innings, defeating its archrival 7-5 in the winner-take-all finale'. Oregon Tech out-hit the Raiders 13-11 in the game but SOU was able to pull out the win 7-5.
 
With the Raiders leading 5-1 and just one out away from winning in the bottom of the seventh, five straight Owls got on base as the Owls sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning to extend the game. Tech had four hits in the inning and three reached on walks, including senior Logan Nunes, who took a full-count pitch low with the bases loaded to force in the game tying run.
 
Donovan led off the top of the ninth, hitting a booming fly ball over the center field fence for her eighth home run. Four batters later, Olivia Mackey hit a RBI triple to take a 7-5 lead.
 
Lauren Quirke finished off Oregon Tech in the bottom half of the inning. She worked the final 2 1/3 innings to earn the win, finishing the season 17-2.
 
Tech out-hit SOU 13-11 in the game led by freshman Krista Ward who had 3-hits, with Armantrout, Businger, and Maggie Buckholz contributing 2-hits each in the loss. 
 
The Owls' season ends with a record of 48-10.

Three Oregon Tech Players were named to the the NAIA All-Tournament Team, catcher-McKenna Armantrout, pitcher-Sarah Abramson, and shortstop-Kaila Mick 

FOLLOW OREGON TECH ATHLETICS

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube