KINGSVILLE, Texas (May 11, 2019) – Texas A&M-Kingsville has proven itself this softball season as one of the nation's best teams in NCAA Division II, but unheralded (at least until this week) Oklahoma Christian proved almost every bit the Javelinas' equal on Saturday afternoon.

OC built a 4-1 lead and looked about to take down No. 3-ranked TAMUK, but the Javelinas rallied for two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings and hung on for a 5-4 win over the Eagles before a raucous crowd of 588 people shoehorned into  Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field to watch the regional's championship round.

OC, which needed two wins Saturday to win the regional, closed a historic season with a 40-16 record, having made quite the impression during their first trip to the NCAA tournament by beating No. 11-ranked Colorado Mesa and No. 10 West Texas A&M in successive elimination games Friday.

The Eagles were the only eighth-seeded team in any of Division II's eight regions to win more than one game in the tournament (only two others won even one regional game) and the only one to reach a championship round. OC accomplished that while competing in what – based on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll – was arguably the most difficult of any of Division II's 16 regional tournaments.

"Super game today against a really good team," OC coach Shanon Hays said. "We had our chances. We left a few runners on third base with less than two outs that would have helped us tremendously, but we battled. They made their own breaks in (the sixth) inning and had their big inning.

"We left a few out there, but I'm really proud of these girls for battling and competing. I think they represented our conference well and represented themselves well. It was fun to watch them battle this week."

Every team that faced the Eagles in the tournament came away impressed, including TAMUK coach Craig Nicholson.

"The game was a little bit sloppy, but it was a super-competitive game," Nicholson said. "I thought Oklahoma Christian played really well today. They came in with a good plan and used their whole pitching staff and made us adjust to three different arms. It was a battle."

In a surprise move, OC started sophomore Lindsey Stoeckel and the right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, giving up only one earned run before giving way to freshman right-hander Kali Crandall, with senior left-hander Madison Hagood (15-8) throwing the last two innings.

OC won the coin flip to be the "home" team on the scoreboard, so TAMUK (46-8) batted first and took a 1-0 lead on a first-inning RBI double by Anastasia Leibas, but the Eagles answered quickly, with senior Hunter Strickland singling up the middle with one out and scoring on the first of two RBI doubles by fellow senior Kaylie Upton in the bottom of the first.

In the third, Brie Dunckel drew a leadoff walk, Strickland singled and Upton's second double scored Dunckel. Strickland came home on a hard-hit infield single by Bridget White, making it 3-1 with no outs. Stoeckel's sacrifice fly scored Upton and moved White to third base, but the Eagles left her there.

OC also had a runner at third base with one out in the fourth inning, but after a strikeout, a double-steal attempt went awry and the Javelinas caught Bailey Strecker in a rundown for the third out.

An error opened the door for TAMUK to score twice in the fifth, with Liebas delivering a critical blow with her second double. OC had runners at second and third base in the bottom of the inning, but TAMUK pitcher Breanna Smith (19-3) speared a hard grounder by Kayla Eichler to record the second out while holding the runners, then struck out Daelyn Denny.

The Javelinas went ahead in the sixth. Hagood hit Claire Chernosky with a pitch and Loren Kelly reached on a bunt single. Victoria Schoonard-Saborio's sacrifice bunt moved up the runners before Liebas scored pinch-runner Sydney Andrews and Kelly with a hard-hit single to right field that just eluded Dunckel, OC's second baseman.

OC's final threat came in the sixth, when Strecker led off with a single up the middle. Pinch-runner Lacey Davidson reached second base with two outs but Smith coaxed a ground ball from Strickland to end the inning.

"Good teams make you pay when you don't execute," Hays said. "But it was a great atmosphere to play in. … It was good for our freshmen and sophomores and juniors to go through that, so next year, when you get into tough situations, hopefully you have something to draw on."

Top-seeded TAMUK will host the South Central Super Regional next week against sixth-seeded Cameron, with the winner advancing to the Division II Championship tournament in Denver later this month.

Tears and hugs were plentiful among OC players and their supporters long after the final pitch, both in happiness for what the Eagles accomplished and sadness that their late-season run – which included winning a share of the Heartland Conference regular-season title and the league's tournament, both for the first time – had ended.

"It's been a great year," Upton said. "No one expected much out of us. I can't say enough. We stepped up in a big way here. We didn't have any pressure on us. I just think all season, the team has been surprising people and I can't wait to see what they do next year."

OC postgame press conference: https://youtu.be/gK0VbmrcuRI

TAMUK postgame press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zeI1QQMeVo