Chattanooga, TN - One way or another, it would be the ending of a story of historic proportions for the 14th-ranked McKendree University Softball team on Wednesday afternoon. The Bearcats (51-17) were playing the top-ranked Saint Leo Lions (54-3-1) in Game Two of the NCAA Division II National Championship Series. The Lions had brought the bats to the series opener, winning 15-4, but that version of the Bearcats did not return to Frost Stadium on Wednesday. McKendree fought tooth and nail, right up to the finish. Alas, Saint Leo still persevered to take the National Championship by a 5-2 final score. It ends a 2026 season for the Bearcats that saw them win a program-record 51 games, their first-ever NCAA Regional win, first-ever NCAA Regional Championship, first-ever NCAA Super Regional Championship, first-ever NCAA DII Championship appearance, and first-ever NCAA DII National Championship Series appearance.
Saint Leo hit the scoreboard first, getting an RBI single, not before Lauren Harris made a remarkable leaping lineout catch just six pitches into the game. McKendree countered with a double from Harris, but she was stranded.
In the second, Sami Huck bounced back. After a single and a walk put two on, she ended the frame with a strikeout. During the game, Huck surpassed 300 strikeouts on the season and 1,100 for her collegiate career.
Laynee Tapp reached on an error to start the second, but she would be stranded.
The Bearcats' best inning against Saint Leo came in the third, as Huck used 15 pitches to set down the Lions 1-2-3.
Harris would double again in the bottom of the third, but would be stranded as was the case from her first-inning hit.
Saint Leo nearly got insurance in the fourth, but left a single on the bases. The long-awaited counter-punch came from the Bearcats in the fourth. After a Paisley Twait double and Laynee Tapp single, Molly Bartz reached on a bunt, scoring Twait after the Lions attempted a flip throw home, which was dropped.
Saint Leo, though, found a way to punch back again. A fly out saw a Lion runner tag up two bases, soon followed by an RBI triple to take a 3-1 lead through four and a half.
In the bottom half, McKendree would create a golden opportunity. Sami Huck singled. Jasmine Myers walked, and Laynee Tapp walked. Bases loaded with two outs for Ali Grenzebach. Unfortunately, for the second straight game, Grenzebach was hit by a pitch. Fortunately, it was still an RBI, scoring Harris and cutting the deficit to one run.
Although McKendree was unable to add on beyond Grenzebach's hit by pitch, they were able to keep Saint Leo scoreless in the sixth. However, the Bearcats went 1-2-3 in the sixth.
In the top of the seventh, with insurance scoring arguably needed, the Lions came up with what they needed. The dagger would be a two-run triple with two outs to take a 5-2 lead.
Emotions were heavy in the bottom of the seventh. The Bearcats needed three runs to force free softball, and four to potentially walk it off.
In the final at bat of her career, Lauren Harris took an 0-2 pitch into left field for a double down the line for the 345th and final hit of her 4-time All-American career. Unfortunately, it would be the last breath of the McKendree season, as the next three were retired to end the game and give Saint Leo its first-ever National Championship, and the State of Florida its first National Championship (Lynn had to vacate its 2005 title).
Afterwards, Sami Huck, Lauren Harris, and Jasmine Myers were all named to the All-Tournament Team.
The emotion postgame was even heavier, as after the initial high-five line, it started to set in, both the result of the game and the end of the season. There were hugs aplenty, teammate to teammate, staff to staff, staff to player, and plenty more. Among other powerful postgame moments, Sami Huck shared one "final pitch" with her dad, Dan, in the left field bullpen before heading to the bus. There were tears, as there almost certainly would be, but indicating how much the group enjoyed accomplishing what they did.
Afterwards, the sadness turned to recollection, and a trip to a local diner in Chattanooga that had been so hospitable to the Bearcats earlier, and the memories began flowing. The loss was in the rearview mirror, but the memories were in the forefront. Let's be real for a second - they always will be.
Again, single-season wins record (51), furthest GLVC Tournament advancement in five years (Runners-Up), first-ever NCAA tournament win, first time hosting NCAA Tournament games, first-ever NCAA Regional Championship, first-ever NCAA Super Regional Championship, first-ever NCAA DII Championship appearance, and first-ever NCAA DII National Championship Series appearance. Not to mention, the team also achieved the highest NFCA ranking in program history at 14. They also made it (tied) as far as any team has (among current affiliation) in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, now joining Lewis's 2001 National Runner-Up finish.
There will be plenty more to share in the coming days and weeks, truly and more rightfully encapsulating just how historic of a season this was.
