SAN ANTONIO (May 3, 2019) – Sierra Schultz grew up in the San Antonio suburb of Schertz and played on the St. Mary's Softball Field while in high school. So, of course, it was the local product who found herself in position to be the hero for Oklahoma Christian on that field on Friday in the biggest game of the season.

Schultz delivered, grounding a single into left field to score pinch-runner Lacey Davidson from third base in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving OC a dramatic 2-1 win over Lubbock Christian (Texas) in the winner's bracket final of the Heartland Conference Championship tournament.

Second-seeded OC (37-14) advanced to the tournament's championship round for the second straight year, but this time the Eagles will be in the driver's seat on Saturday against fourth-seeded Lubbock Christian (32-18).

Lubbock Christian escaped with a 7-6, nine-inning win over fifth-seeded Texas A&M International in the loser's bracket final, after TAMIU eliminated host and top-seeded St. Mary's 4-3 in eight innings. OC will need one win in two opportunities to win the tournament, while the Chaparrals will need a sweep. The tournament winner will earn the Heartland's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II tournament.

"Having Sierra here, near her hometown, to get some good swings in today and doing that, that was a pretty cool deal," OC coach Shanon Hays said. "That's a hard game for anybody to lose. Both teams played really well. … Their pitchers threw well and kept us at bay. They're just such a good ball club. If you can hold them down to one run, you've really done something."

OC survived as Lubbock Christian – which entered averaging almost seven runs per game – twice left the bases loaded and turned a rare triple play to quickly wipe out an OC scoring threat. The Eagles never led until after Schultz's hit.

The Chaparrals loaded the bases against OC starter Madison Hagood in the first, but Hagood coaxed a groundout from K.K. Lopez-Liu to end the inning. Lubbock Christian scored its lone run in the second, when Morgan Dufour led off with a single and eventually scored as a ground ball by Savannah Wysocki trickled through the outstretched gloves of OC third baseman Bailey Strecker and shortstop Bridget White.

OC looked to quickly tie the game in the bottom of the inning, as Lindsey Stoeckel and Kayla Eichler led off with singles and Daelyn Denny smoked a line drive that looked headed for center field. But Lubbock Christian pitcher Jordan Wehr stuck out her glove and caught the line drive, then doubled off both Stoeckel and Eichler for the triple play.

Hagood settled down to retire eight Chaparrals in a row before running into trouble in the fifth, when freshman Kali Crandall took over to retire K'leigh Arredondo on a fly ball to end the inning.

Denny drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, took second base on a sacrifice bunt by Strecker and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Brie Dunckel that hit the base and bounded into center field.

Lubbock Christian threatened again in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs on a hit, error and walk. Dufour smacked a line drive that White speared above her head, again denying the Chaparrals. Crandall (15-5) allowed only two hits in 2 1/3 innings of work in the circle.

Eichler, a senior designated player from Edmond, led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left field off Lubbock Christian reliever Amber Carlton (8-5) and Davidson took her place on the basepaths.

"I was thinking, 'Hit the ball hard on the ground,' because you should make yourself be a hard out at all times," Eichler said. "I knew they were coming in (Carlton) had a change-up – we had just talked about it when they changed pitchers. I looked in and saw the off-speed (pitch) and stayed back and hit it hard on the ground."

Denny followed with a perfectly placed bunt, which she beat out for a single, and Strecker delivered her second sacrifice bunt of the game to move up the runners. Schultz, who entered the game in the third inning to pinch-hit and stayed in to catch, knew what she had to do.

"It's like every other at-bat," said Schultz, who has developed quite the reputation as an ace pinch-hitter for the Eagles, hitting .379 in 58 at-bats this season. "You go in there and you try to hit the ball hard. All I was trying to do, if you hit the ball in the air, you get it in the outfield, and if not, you're hitting the ball on the ground. That's what I did."

Her ground ball reached the outfield and Davidson easily scored the decisive run.

"My family can't go to a lot of games, because of work and I live so far away," Schultz said. "Being here and being able to do that was really nice."

Postgame press conference: https://youtu.be/LnTyXuqiCP4