Cedar Rapids, Iowa - The No. 1 seeded Central Methodist softball team knocked off Mount Mercy twice Sunday afternoon to claim the Heart Conference Tournament title.
With the win, Central completes the Heart regular season and tournament sweep, the first time since the 2014 season.
In game one, both sides remained scoreless until the top of the third inning. Daly Garland started the third with a single through the left side to put a runner on first.
Following back-to-back strikeouts, sophomore outfielder Kelena Oots tripled to deep left field to bring Garland home from first. On the same play, an error by the Mount Mercy left fielder gave Oots enough time to scamper home, giving Central a 2-0 lead.
Katelyn Kiser padded the Eagles lead with a sole home run to left field in the top of the fifth. Mount Mercy gained traction in the bottom half of frame, ultimately loading the bases with two outs.
However, senior ace Keighlan Cronin was able to force a ground out to third base and get CMU out of the inning. The Mustangs threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, getting on the board on a solo home run to left field.
Following a triple to right center, Cronin retired the final two batters to give CMU the 3-1 win and force a winner-take-all championship game.
Overall, Central plated its three runs on five hits with one Mustang error. Cronin pushed her overall record to 20-2, pitching a complete game. The senior from St. Charles, Mo. gave up only one earned run on six hits and four strikeouts.
Game two was another pitcher's duel, as there were only three runs scored. Central jumped on the board first via a fielder's choice from Katelyn Kiser which scored Mikayla Pennell in the bottom of the second inning. Central's second run came in the fifth inning courtesy of a RBI-single from Kiser to plate pinch runner Chloe Clarke.
The Mustangs threatened in the top of the sixth, collecting three hits to load the bases. The next batter was hit by a pitch to plate Mount Mercy's first run of the game. Cronin retired the final batter to preserve the 2-1 lead.
Mount Mercy looked to gain traction in the final half inning, and had a runner in scoring position with two outs. Cronin was able to force a ground out to third base, giving Central the 2-1 win and the sweep of the regular season and tournament titles.
Freshman sensation Mykala Johnico pushed her record to a perfect 16-0, pitching 5.2 innings and giving up just one earned run four hits. She also struck out seven batters.
Cronin came in relief for the final 1.1 innings to secure the victory.
The Eagles improve their overall record to 40-5 and will now wait to see where they will play in the Opening Round of the 2022 NAIA Softball National Championship. The national championship field will be revealed Tuesday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. (CST) on the Play NAIA Facebook page.
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