Central Methodist vs. Columbia (photo, Cougar athletics)
No. 2 -seed Central Methodist started the 2014 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round by routing No. 3-seed Columbia (Mo.) 12-2 in five innings, in Columbia, Mo. on Monday afternoon.
The Eagles advance to the semifinals of the Columbia Bracket to face No. 1-seed LSU Alexandria (La.), ranked second in the nation, on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT at Black Field at Cosmopolitan Park’s Antimi Sports Complex.
The Eagles have won 10-straight games, their third win streak of double-digit contests this season, and 15-straight road games.
The Cougars will continue play on Tuesday with an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. against the No. 4 seed Morningside (Iowa) College. There will also be an elimination game at 4:00 p.m. between the loser of the 11:00 a.m. game and the winner of the 1:30 p.m. contest.
Elsewhere, working around over two and a half hours of rain delays, the No. 19 Owls of William Woods University (Mo.) and No. 22 Davenport Panthers (Mich.) met in the opening game in the Grand Rapids, MI bracket. The host Panthers (37-8) went on to win game 4-2. William Woods will face Huntington in a matchup Tuesday at 3 p.m. in an elimination game.
