Crowder wins regional title

May 05, 2008 12:02 am

— From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Crowder College, the winners’ bracket champion, needed two games Sunday to defeat losers’ bracket champ Jefferson College and win the NJCAA Region 16 women’s softball championship at Columbia Rock Bridge High School.
Jefferson forced the second game by winning the opener 2-1. Crowder only needed five innings to triumph 15-4 in the nightcap.
Crowder (51-8) advances to the next post-season step, the District K playoff against Iowa Western Community College, at noon Wednesday. The winner will go to the national tournament May 18-20 in Plant City, Fla.
Only mustering one hit in the opener, Crowder roared back in the finale with 18 safeties, compared to six for Jefferson, which ended its season at 35-15.
NEO wins second straight Region II crown
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Northeastern Oklahoma A&M held back a Connors State surge Sunday and triumphed 7-6 to capture its second straight NJCAA Region II women’s softball championship at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Lady Norse (36-11), ranked 18th in the nation, will advance to the NJCAA national tournament May 18-20 at Plant City, Fla.
NEO (32-21) took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but fell behind 4-3 after Connors State, from Warner, Okla., picked up four runs in the top of the third. The Lady Norse came back to tie the game at 4-all in the bottom of the fourth and go ahead 5-4 in the fifth. Connors knotted the score again with a run in the top of the sixth. The Lady Norse scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth and held Connors to a single run in the top of the seventh to get the victory.