OKLAHOMA CITY — After claiming the Mid-South Conference title, the (RV) Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions drew the No. 3 seed in a tough Oklahoma City bracket where their first test was against the second-seeded (RV) University of Houston-Victoria Jaguars. Despite a neutral-site win against UHV in the regular season, FHU fell in the first round of the 2024 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round 4-0.
A pitchers' duel saw both the Lady Lions (31-17) and the Jaguars retired in order across the first inning and a half until a UHV single led off the bottom of the second. After a sacrifice bunt,
Chloe Winters buckled down to strike out the next two batters and strand the runner.
The Lady Lions hoped to jump on the Jaguars (33-12) in the top of the third when
Grayson Mayo led off the frame with a walk before moving to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt.
Karli Quillin laced a single up the middle, but a perfect throw from the outfield cut Mayo down at the plate to keep the scores level.
A fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth saw a close play at the plate go UHV's way to score the first run of the game before the Jaguar speed saw two runners tap home on a wild pitch to take a 3-0 lead after five.
A leadoff single turned into an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to wrap up the scoring on the 4-0 loss for the Lady Lions.
Chloe Winters (9-6) struck out three batters and allowed just one walk in the loss.
Karli Quillin had two hits for FHU, with
Chloe Carter and
Olivia White each connecting for one.
Â
Up Next
For the third straight season, the Lady Lions will have to fight their way through the consolation bracket after falling in the first game. In 2022, FHU battled back to win the bracket and advance to the World Series in Columbus, Georgia, while the Lady Lions advanced to the regional final in the 2023 before falling.
In a bit of irony, FHU will battle Ottawa (Kan.) University on May 14. The Lady Lions defeated the Braves twice in the 2023 opening round to advance to the final. FHU will hope to claim victory in the 2024 edition with the elimination game starting at 4:00 p.m.
