FINDLAY, Ohio – Fourth-seeded Trevecca Nazarene University softball (33-17) saw its nine-game winning end in the 2022 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship Finals, then lost again in the if-necessary game. Second-seeded Ohio Dominican University (35-17) pressed past the Trojans in eight innings, 2-1, in game one, forcing the if necessary game into play. In game two, ODU won the tournament with a 6-4 victory, securing the automatic qualifier bid to the regions.

The Trojans await the final region poll to see if they move into the field with an at-large bid.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Trojans needed one win against Ohio Dominican Sunday to claim the 2022 title. The Panthers needed to win two against the Trojans without a loss to earn the title.

Trevecca owned four Great Midwest conference tournament championships in the first eight in the history of the conference. The Trojans won the first four, but the last postseason championship was in 2016. Additionally, Trevecca has won five of the nine regular-season Great Midwest titles.

2022 Great Midwest Championships Home

HOW IT HAPPENED  

GM 1 - Trevecca 1, Ohio Dominican 2

The Trojans struck with a run to take the lead in the bottom of the first. With two out, Kendall Andrews singled, stole second base, and scored on an RBI-single from Gracie Kirby. Ohio Dominican responded in the top of the second with a sacrifice bunt. Both starting pitchers shut down the opponent's offense until the eighth.

Ashlan Sensing clamped down on the Panther hitters, striking out and a total of six and retiring the next 18 Panthers. On the other side Sydney Long, the conference pitcher of the year, stranded eight Trojan runners. The pitcher's duel went to extra innings and in the top of the eighth inning, the Panthers finally broke through and tagged Ashlan Sensing with just her third run in the tournament. They did so with a bases-loaded sacrifice flyout. Trojan catcher Kendall Andrews reached on a hit-by-pitch and stole second, but Ohio Dominican snuffed out the rally and forced the winner to take all game.

GM 1 KEYS

Lenna Robinson picked up her 48th steal of the season and two more hits. Malone Thrift added two hits and Kendall Andrews reached and stole two bases.

Ashlan Sensing took the loss but pitched all eight innings and allowed just four hits, a walk, and two runs while striking out six.

GM 2 - Trevecca 4, Ohio Dominican 6

Ohio Dominican scored a run in the third to take the lead, then added three more in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. The Panthers held the advantage until the top of the sixth. The Trojans had four hits in the first three innings, but then seven consecutive Trojans were retired until the sixth. Sydney McCormick lead off the inning with a walk. Megan Walker came on to pinch run and an out later Gracie Kirby walked with Kaylee Adams pinch-running. Lenna Robinson reached on a fielding error to load the bases. With two out, Alyssa Triner hit a grand slam, her second home run of the tournament, tying the game at 4-4. But the Panthers responded with a two-run bottom of the sixth and got the Trojans 1-2-3 in the seventh to secure their second consecutive Great Midwest Championship.

GM 2 KEYS

Ashlan Sensing (18-9) pitched the complete game again, allowing six runs, but only two earned due to two Trevecca fielding errors.

Kendall Andrews had to hits, both doubles. Gracie Kirby had a double. Triner had the four RBI and a home run. Triner also had a stolen base.

Sensing pitched well throughout her freshmen campaign but turned it up a level as the postseason approached. In the tournament, she went 3-2 with a 1.09 earned run average. The Dickson County product threw 32 innings with 20 strikeouts.

ALL-TIME VS OHIO DOMINICAN

Trevecca's lead in the all-time series is 10-9 but has come out on top in the last six meetings.

The Panthers, the defending tournament champion, swept the season series this year, winning 8-0 and 5-2 in Columbus, then added two more wins today.

Last year, the Panthers ended the Trojans Great Midwest Tournament run with a 4-2 win and ended the Trevecca season with a 2-0 win in the NCAA Midwest Regional.

ALL-TIME TREVECCA NOTES

The Trojans are assured of their 22nd consecutive winning season, dating back to the 2000-2001 season. After producing a winning record (22-20) in the program's first season (1991-1992), the team didn't have another winning record until the 2000-2001 season. 

This is the tenth season for Trevecca with an NCAA Division II schedule. 

314-143 Overall - NCAA Era (10 years)

31-16 Postseason - NCAA Era (10 years) 

6 - 30-Win Season in NCAA D2 Era (10 years)

913-555-3 All-time Record (NAIA/NCAA - 31 Seasons) 

15 - 30-Win Seasons (31 Seasons)

BEN TYREE NOTES

Ben Tyree is in his fourteenth as the head coach at Trevecca and owns nine 30-win seasons, six in the D2 Era. Tyree owns the most wins in Trevecca history and has tallied more Great Midwest wins than any other league coach.

Overall: 465-199-2

Conference: 209-63-1 (140-46 Great Midwest)

Postseason: 49-26 (31-16 D2 Era)

Ben Tyree surpassed the 400-win mark in 2020 

Thirteen of his 14 seasons have produced 21 wins or more

*2020 season 15-3 due to the COVID-19 

Great Midwest Coach of the Year – four times

Coach of the Year – seven times (w/ NAIA years)

GREAT MIDWEST DETAILS

The championships run May 5-9, 2022 at Marathon Diamonds in Findlay, Ohio. The championship features a six-team bracket with the top two seeds (No. 1 Hillsdale, and No. 2 Ohio Dominican) getting a first-round bye. 

PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Coming off a 2021 Great Midwest regular-season title and a third trip to the NCAA region championship, the 2022 Trojans were picked by league coaches as the preseason favorite to repeat. This is despite the Trojan roster having just one senior following a sizeable 2021 graduating class. Coach Tyree rebuilt the roster with freshmen and a mix of transfers. 

GREAT MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

Trevecca won the first four Great Midwest Athletic regular-season titles and postseason championships. Last year the Trojans added a fifth regular-season G-MAC title. 

MIDWEST REGIONALS

Three times, the Trojans have advanced to the NCAA D2 Regional (2015, 2016, 2021). The Trojans claimed the 2016 Great Midwest regular-season championship and tournament, giving the Trojans the 2016 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional with the conference automatic qualifier. The Trojans picked up their first at large bid in 2015 and again in 2021. 

Not only is Trevecca the first Great Midwest team to advance to the regional, but they are also the first to secure wins at the regional level. 

MORE ABOUT THE TREVECCA TROJANS

Visit the Official Home of Trevecca Athletics at www.tnutrojans.com | www.trevecca.edu

Click for Live Stats / Live Video of home games.

Follow on Social Media -Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Photos | Mobile Updates | Free Newsletter | Mobile App

--www.tnutrojans.com--