COLUMBUS, Ga. – An early morning wake-up call did not faze Oregon Tech at the NAIA Softball World Series, as the Lady Owls staved off elimination behind a masterful performance from Sarah Abramson, blanking Tennessee Wesleyan, 1-0, at South Commons Softball Complex.
 
OIT (50-12) advances to meet No. 12-ranked Southeastern (Fla.) this evening – with first pitch set for 6 p.m. (EDT) / 3 p.m. (PDT) – live on 104.3 & 960 Sports.
 
Playing at 6 a.m. Pacific Time, the Owls made a first inning run hold up, as Abramson tossed her second-straight 2-hitter of the tournament. The senior tied her own school record with her 29th win of 2022, allowing just one runner to reach third base – walking one and striking out another.
 
"What an effort by Sarah," said OIT head coach Greg Stewart. "It is tough to toss back-to-back 2-hitters against the type of teams you play on this stage. McKenna (Armantrout) called such a great game and we made 4-or-5 outstanding defensive played that made a difference."
 
The Lady Owls struck first in their opening at bat – as Kaila Mick singled and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Kennedy Jantzi followed, lining a 2-2 screwball down the left field line to deliver the lone run of the game.
 
Abramson and the defense did the rest. The Bulldogs (37-9) put runners at second-and-third in the second, but Mick made a leaping grab of an Allie West liner and Malyssa Jeter struck out to end the threat. TWU put two runners on in the third, but Maggie Buckholz tracked down a Loryn Sherwood fly ball in right to end the inning – with Abramson retiring 12 of the final 13 batters on the day.
 
Cheyenne Strong kept the Bulldogs in the game – limiting the Owls to just three base runners after the first. The TWU ace surrendered just three hits and two runs in the tournament, but her team was eliminated in back-to-back shutout losses.
 
"We need to starting hitting the ball," Stewart said. "We haven't hit like we are capable of in the tournament. Hopefully we can get the bats hot this afternoon."
 
Tech will meet a Southeastern team with an identical 50-12 record, as the Sun Conference champions lead the NAIA with 233 stolen bases on the season.
 
NOTES: 

• OIT has now won at least one game at the NAIA World Series in all seven trips
• Tech has now won 50 games in the season for the first time in program history
• Abramson tossed her 14th shutout of the season – the most by a Lady Owl in over 20 years
• Abramson has 909 career strikeouts – two away from the Cascade Conference all-time mark of 911 set by Nickayla Skinner of College of Idaho from 2011-14