Storm Season Ends with 2-1 Loss to No. 1 West Texas A&M

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SALEM, VA – The best season in the softball history of Dixie State University came to a close on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 loss to No. 1 West Texas A&M at the NCAA D2 Softball Championships at the Moyers Sports Complex.

It was a season of many firsts for the No. 15 ranked Red Storm (51-10) as they set a records for wins in a season, consecutive wins at 27, highest batting average in the NCAA at .365, a second consecutive Pacific West Championship and their first win at the D2 National Championships. And that was just to name a few.

The last time the Storm made the NCAA Championship, they lost a heartbreaker to North Georgia in the opener and followed with a loss to Indianapolis. This time they end with a 2-2 record and finish as one of the final four teams left in the nation.

Today's game was touted as a game that featured two of the most powerful offenses in all of D2. The Lady Buffs (59-7) entered with a .355 batting average, six players with over 70 RBI, five players in double digits in home runs, and as a team they had 340 base on balls and they scored over 10 runs in 27 of their contests.

The contest ended up being quit the opposite as starting pitchers Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, CA/Highland ) and Rita Hokianga held each team scoreless through four innings. For the nations leading hitters, senior Mattie Snow (Tooele, UT/Tooele High School) scrapped out the only DSU hit in the second inning. For the Lady Buffs a bunt single by Lacey Taylor was all they could manage in the third inning.

West Texas A&M threatened in the fourth frame on a pair of walks and a hit by pitch to loaded the bases, but Feickert struck Mallory Wyatt to end the threat.

In the fifth inning, Snow collected her second hit of the game through the left side and Kristie Johnson (Temecula, CA/Chaparral High School) pinch ran for Snow. After a infield pop out, Marla Retiter hit a bounding ball deep in the hole to the shortstop and she tried to throw out Reiter from her knees and the ball scooted past the first baseman. Johnson rounded second and went to third on the play and Simikins seeing that the first baseman had just picked up the ball waved Johnson home and an errant throw allowed her to score to give DSU a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Buffs responded with a walk and a pair of singles to load the bases in their half of the fifth inning with one out against Feickert. After a Simkins visit to the circle, Feickert's first pitch glanced off of the forearm of Erwin who earned an RBI and tied the game at 1-1.

Feickert responded by getting ahead in the count 1-2, but Dacosin took three pitches to draw and RBI bases loaded walk and put the Lady Buffs ahead 2-1. Feickert then struck out the next to batters to silence the WTAM bats.

After an empty sixth frame for both teams, the Red Storm season was on line heading to the seventh inning and needing to score a run to tie and two to win.

Pinch hitter Rochelle Jenkins (Mira Loma, CA/Roosevelt High School) led the inning off with a pop out to shortstop. Woodfall and Snow followed with consecutive bases hits to keep the inning alive and move the tying run within 120 feet.

Senior Brooke Budge (Springville, UT/Springville High School) followed with a little flare that looked if it was going to get over the head of the Lady Buff second baseman and tie the game, but she leaped and made a diving catch to retire Budge. Reiter followed with a walk and loaded the bases to move the tying run just 60 feet away.

The game was left in the hands of freshman shortstop Josey Hartman (Mapleton, UT/Maple Mountain) who took the first pitch for a called strike and then took three straight balls. Ahead in the count 3-1, Hartman hit the next pitch in what looked like it was going to get into the gap in left center, but it hung up and the Lady Buff centerfielder settled under it to secure the victory and dash the hopes of all the Red Storm fans.

Feickert picked up the loss despite having one of her best performances of the year. She finishes 21-7 after striking out seven batters, walking five and allowing only three hits.

The senior Snow led DSU with three hits in her collegiate finale and Woodfall added the only other Storm hit.

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