CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Southern Nazarene’s Katelyn Brown delivered a game-tying double and threw a one-hit complete game as the Crimson Storm rallied late to defeat Henderson State, 2-1, in Wednesday’s final Great American Conference Softball Championship contest from the Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, Brown stepped into the box with Kaley Knox on second base. Entering this at bat, Brown has collected just two hits in 16 at bats this season against the Reddies (32-24). In this instance, she laced a double, the only extra-base hit of the contest between the two teams, to the gap in right-center to tie the contest. Cheyenne Reynolds pinch ran for Brown who, after a strike out, came home with the go-ahead run on single over short by Caitlyn Curlee.
Tasked with preserving the tenuous one-run lead for the Crimson Storm (25-26-1), Brown finished off her masterpiece by striking out five of the final seven Reddies she faced. The GAC leader in strikeouts racked up 11, which matched her second-best performance of the season. She increased her season total to 222 strikeouts, the sixth-best single-season total in GAC history.
Wednesday’s performance continued for run of standout outings at the GAC Championships for Brown. Dating back to the start of last year’s event, she owns a 4-1 record with five complete games. She has surrendered only five earned runs in her 47.1 innings inside the circle, translating to a 0.74 ERA. She has struck out 37 batters in that span.
The Crimson Storm will take on top-seeded Southern Arkansas in a winner’s bracket contest at 1 p.m. on Thursday from the Tiger Athletic Complex. The Reddies will face East Central in the tournament’s second elimination contest. That contest will also start at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, but will take place at Bentonville West. During the regular season SAU won three out of four from Southern Nazarene. Henderson State claimed three out of four from ECU. The Reddies limited the Tigers in eight runs in the series.