WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Had Faulkner dropped the semifinals matchup to host Southeastern, the No. 3 team in the NAIA, it would have had to turn around and play at 1 pm CT for its season and a shot to go the championship round after a 9 am first pitch to start the day. The No. 3 seed Lady Eagles (37-14) made sure it wouldn't come to that, tallying just enough timely hits off the fourth-leading NAIA pitcher in Edan Playa, who owns a 1.00 ERA, and putouts on defense to pull victory out of the fire (no pun intended), upsetting the top seed (45-8) 3-2 and put them one win away from the World Series.
The Lady Eagles got eight hits, two earned runs and two walks on Playa. Chloe Davidson was 2-4 and Bailea Boone turned in a perfect 3-3 day at the plate while coming up big in left field. Abrianna Davis earned the win, her eighth in ten decisions this season, scattering five hits with two walks, a run and a strikeout in four innings. Reece Patterson then polished off her second save of the season by entering for the last 1.2 innings, allowing just two hits and striking one out.
Faulkner showed patience at the dish early to take an early lead. With Anna Catherine Segrest aboard with a fielder's choice, Sarah Williams fouled off 11 pitches and eight straight to stay alive with a full count before adeptly drawing a walk. Madelyn Becker then fouled off five pitches in her at-bat before placing a double to right center to bring in both runners. Each team stranded four baserunners in scoreless second and third innings before the Fire got on the board in the fourth as the leadoff runner came home on a sac fly.
Davis's day ended with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth to Ella Brooks, who has 44 stolen bases on the season. Davis gave way to Lana Atkins, and she and the defense were given a gift on the next pitch as Brooks was called out for leaving early. Segrest then secured a groundout and Williams caught a popup in foul territory behind home plate for effectively a three-up-three-down frame.
Southeastern made a pitching change of their own after Bailea Boone legged out an infield single in the sixth. In came none other than Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year Maria Zelenka. Faulkner gave her a rude greeting, however, as Davidson singled to center and Segrest reached on an error to load the bases. Addyson Jarman then hit a sacrifice fly to score Boone and get the run back.
The Fire weren't going away, loading the bases with two singles and a walk and prompting Coach Hal Wynn to bring in the junior ace. Patterson promptly answered with a strikeout on four pitches to have one out to go in the inning. The Lady Eagles nearly got a double play as the batter attempted to reach on a dropped third strike, and the leadoff slid back into third to beat the throw from Williams to Becker. However, the defense would get the third out three pitches later with the play of the game. Franey's hit to left dropped to score the leadoff runner, and the second got the wave home from the third base coach. Boone threw home to Williams, who reached back to get the tagout and end the inning, all while preserving the 3-2 lead.
Brooks would get back on base in the bottom of the seventh with a single on the first pitch she saw from Patterson to bring about some nerves on the Faulkner side. However, for the second straight time, she would get out in another way. Two foul balls later, Patterson caught a quick-reaction lineout from Bradley and threw to Kelbi Johnson at first to catch Brooks off the bag. With one out to go, Sun Conference Player of the Year Raylei McKinney stepped up to the plate, and she lined out to another Conference Player of the Year. The senior second baseman from Wetumpka, Ala., secured the final out and a berth in the Championship Round.
The elimination semifinals to determine the team Faulkner will face tomorrow has been pushed back to Wednesday morning at 11 am CT due to rainfall. It features the two teams Faulkner has beaten in top-seed SEU and 2-seed Evangel, as both teams have defeated and eliminated Dillard. With a win tomorrow, the Lady Eagles will advance to their second NAIA Softball World Series berth in program history, while a loss while result in the If-Necessary game that has now been pushed back to 11 am on Thursday.
