Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

Link to tournament page
 
BLUEFIELD, Va. – The Union University softball team went 2-1 on the first day of play in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Softball National Championships. Union plays Grace (Ind.) College Saturday at 11:00 a.m. central time  in an elimination game.
 
Union played two innings Thursday morning before rain postponed the game and the rest of Thursday's action. A furious schedule of games was played Friday with sixth seeded Union finishing their opening round game, an 8-5 victory over No. 3 seed Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University. Union then faced No. 2 seed Oklahoma Christian and lost 8-0 in five innings. The Lady Bulldogs played their final game of the day versus future Gulf South Conference foe and 10-seed Mississippi College. Union held on for the 7-4 victory to stay alive.
 
Union is one of just four teams left in the 10-team tournament. Top-seed and fellow Gulf South member Shorter (Ga.) University and Oklahoma Christian play in the winner's bracket final, while Union and 4-seed Grace face off in the loser's bracket.
 
In the first game of the day for Union, they Lady Bulldogs scored first on a grand slam from Reagan Schrader in the second inning before the rains hit. The home run for Schrader was the 14^th of the year, tying the school record for home runs in a season. When play resumed Friday morning, Azusa Pacific had two runners on base and scored both, cutting the Union lead to 4-2. Union tacked on two more runs in the fourth and one each in the fifth and sixth to lead 8-3. Two runs from APU in the bottom of the seven set the final at 8-5. Union was led by Summer Cross with three hits, while Schrader added two hits. Schrader's four RBI was tops in the team, while Shelby Lamb added two RBI. Kelly Robey (24-19) earned the win with a complete game, allowing three earned runs, five runs total on five hits with six strikeouts.
 
In the second game, Union and Oklahoma Christian played a scoreless first two innings. Oklahoma Christian scored two in the third, one in the fifth, and then exploded for five in the sixth to win 8-0. Union managed just two hits and committed four errors. Robey tossed another complete game in the loss, allowing eight runs, only two earned with five strikeouts.
 
The third game of the day had Union falling behind to Mississippi College 2-0 going into the bottom of the third inning. Union scored a run on an Alex Williams homer.  The scored stayed 2-1 until Union took the lead with three runs in the fifth inning. Lamb homered, driving in two and Sarah Kreuter doubled to drive in the third run of the inning, putting Union up 4-2. Mississippi College added a run in the six to make the score 4-3. Union scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 7-3. Lamb homered again, this time a 3-run shot to clear the bases. Mississippi College scored a run in the seventh to set the final at 7-4. Williams started the game for Union, tossing 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Robey tossed the final 3.2 inning of relief, earning the win. She allowed two runs, one earned on two hits with six strikeouts. Lamb was 3-for-5 with five RBI to lead Union. Erin Picard and Williams each had two hits.
 
#UNION#