Blue Mountain Christian Falls to Grand View in NAIA Opening Round

The Blue Mountain Christian University softball team opened its first NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round on Monday in Oklahoma City, falling 2-1 to second-seeded Grand View University.

The Toppers took an early lead in the third inning. Laklyn Nichols reached base and later scored on an RBI single by Mikaylah Fuqua, giving Blue Mountain Christian a 1-0 advantage. The game remained a defensive battle most of the afternoon.

Neely Cooper pitched for the Toppers, allowing one earned run over 6.1 innings. She allowed five hits and struck out three. Despite the loss, Cooper’s performance kept the Toppers competitive throughout the game.

Grand View tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and won on a walk-off RBI single. The Toppers managed five hits in the game, with hits from Anna Harrison, Fuqua, Aspen Teague, Neely Barrier, and Nichols.

Blue Mountain Christian is participating in the tournament for the first time. The team will continue play Tuesday at 1 p.m. against No. 5 seed Williams Baptist University in an elimination game.

Source: Original Article