BROOKINGS, S.D. – A 21-strikeout performance by All-League first team pitcher Kamryn Meyer and a pinch-hit, walk-off homer by freshman Haley Wilwerding lifted second-seeded Omaha into the winner's bracket round of the 2024 Summit League Softball Championship. Meyer only allowed six hits as she covered all 14 innings in the circle as the Mavericks advanced with a 1-0 thriller against third-seeded Kansas City on Friday afternoon at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium in Brookings, S.D.
Meyer's first five outs of the contest all came via a strikeout and she finished the first three innings with eight total as neither could scrounge together any offense.
Lynsey Tucker recorded Omaha's first hit of the game off KC starter Camryn Stickel but she was erased trying to steal second on a strong throw from Freshman of the Year Kadin Vire.
Meyer mowed down three more Roos in the fourth to push her total to 11 but the Roos were able to get a runner in scoring position in the fifth after Vire singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Elleana Navarro. Meyer was unphased, however, as she struck out Katie Noble and Lauren Parker to retire the side and pick up her 12
th and 13
th strikeout of the game, respectively.
Ava Rongisch led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single, but Stickel retired the next three batters to get out of the inning.
Kansas City put two runners on for the first time in the seventh, but Meyer was able to escape that jam forcing a pop up, then adding another strike out to her tally.
After six scoreless extra innings, Wilwerding came in to pinch hit with one out and promptly delivered a line drive over the leftfield wall to walk-it-off for the Mavericks and send her squad to the winner's bracket with her first collegiate home run.
Pitcher of Record
Win – Kamryn Meyer (23-3): 14 IP, 6 hits, 0 earned runs, 2 walks, 21 strikeouts
Loss – Camryn Stickel (12-16): 13.1 IP, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Notable Notes
• Kamryn Meyer posted the most strikeouts in Summit League Tournament history (21) and became the league's all-time career strikeout holder as she passed North Dakota State's Whitney Johnson's record of 994 strikeouts from 2010-13.
• Meyer went the distance by tossing all 14 innings of work with 226 pitches.
• Haley Wilwerding's pinch hit home run was her first career home run.
• The 14-inning marathon was the longest tournament game by innings in league history.
Up Next
Omaha will play for a berth in the title against No. 4 South Dakota tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT, while North Dakota State will face No.1 South Dakota State later today.
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