OU softballl wraps up third seed in KCAC tourney

The Ottawa University softball team secured the third seed in this week’s conference tourney slated for Thursday and Friday at Orlis Cox with a sweep of Sterling.

On Saturday, Ottawa rolled to 13-2 and 14-4 wins in Sterling. Ottawa (26-14, 12-4) plays noon Thursday against No. 6 seed Kansas Wesleyan. The other first round matchups have No. 8 Saint Mary vs. No. 9 Tabor College, 10 a.m.; No. 2 Bethany College vs. No. 7 Southwestern, 10 a.m.; No. 4 Sterling College vs. No. 5 McPherson College, noon; No. 1 Friends vs. winner of the first game, 2 p.m.

It is a double-elimination tournament with the winner advancing to the NAIA World Series.

Ottawa heads into the tourney swinging hot bats. The Lady Braves ripped 30 hits and seven home runs, led by Myah Sprew’s three home runs.

Ottawa broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the second inning and scored 10 runs in the fifth. Sprew and Josie Hildebrand hit home runs in the fifth inning.

Hildebrand and Ashley Renaldi had three RBIs each. Korey Higbie, Michelle Bowman and Erin Michael had three stolen bases.

Ottawa opened the second with five runs in the first inning, highlighted by Ashley Mundy’s two-run home run.

The Lady Braves scored one in the top of the fifth on an RBI double by Hildebrand and another on Sprew’s second home run.

Ottawa scored twice in the sixth on Hildebrand’s second home run of the day. Sterling scored two in the bottom half to come within 9-4.

Ottawa answered with five runs in the seventh inning. Sprew hit her third home run on the day.

Bowman set a single-season record for stolen bases with 26.