Phoenix does it again, capturing tenth national title
Phoenix (AZ) had the bats going for the championship final, defeating Murray State (OK), 13-5, to earn its second-consecutive title. The Bears blasted three home runs including a grand slam while starting pitcher Brianna Hardy pitched all seven innings, giving up five runs en route to surpassing 400 strikeouts on the year.
The Bears swept through the national tournament as the No. 2 seed with five wins. Phoenix outscored its opponents by an outstanding 38-12 margin, including one shutout. Sophomore Brianna Hardy earned Tournament MVP honors while Ali Ashner received the Offensive Player of the Tournament award.
It didn't take long for Phoenix to get going in the title match. The first batter of the game, Ali Ashner, cranked a home run just two pitches into the at-bat, giving the Bears an early 1-0 lead. She followed that up with an RBI-single in the second inning, followed up with a two-run single by Kamryn Moctezuma. Phoenix led 4-0 until the fourth inning, when Murray State finally got one back.
Brianna Hardy's stellar season was capped off with her MVP-winning performance in this year's championship run. She pitched complete-games throughout the entire tournament, earning victories in all five starts. She also surpassed 400 strikeouts on the season in the championship final.
Murray State, who entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed, finished as runners-up for the first time since 2013, when they lost to LSU-Eunice. The Aggies upset top-seeded Des Moines Area in the quarterfinal and met with Phoenix for the first of two matchups this tournament in the semifinal. The game was a battle of strong pitching, as Phoenix was able to squeeze by, 2-1. They defeated Kirkwood to earn a spot in the championship, where they once again fell to Phoenix.
The Aggies were led offensively by Shallen Mershon and KJ Morgan, who each had eight hits and batted .421 and .444, respectively. In the circle, Alexa Hopkins posted a 3-0 record.
Along with Hardy's outstanding performances in the circle, Kamryn Moctezuma was stellar at the plate, batting .600 with nine hits and five RBI.
Sophomore Ali Ashner was named the Offensive Player of the Tournament after going 11-17 at the plate with two home runs and six RBI. In the championship final, she went 4 for 5 with a home run and two RBI.
