McPherson, Kan. – The Tiger Softball team welcomed Langston University to campus with a spot in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on the line. The Tigers, along with Langston University and Nelson University were vying for the last two spots in the tournament. The Tigers would have to take three of four from the Lions to secure a spot in the tournament based on how the standings were and how their series with Nelson played out earlier in the year.
In game one, the Tigers came out swinging as they scored all five of their runs in three of the first four innings. The dagger came in the form of a 2-run homerun off the bat of senior Abby Schleisman that vaulted the Tigers in front 4-0. The Tigers would add a run in the 4th and that would be all they needed to win the first game of the series 5-2. Clarissa Rejino went seven strong innings, allowing just the two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three Lions.
The Lions adjusted and jumped on the Tigers and starter Chelsie Hirtler, tagging her for four runs in the first inning. After two quick outs, the Lions strung together three straight hits to load the bases. Ryan Cornist brought them all home on a grand slam that would jumpstart the Lions offense in game two.
The Tigers cut the deficit in half in the 3rd inning as two runs came across due to fielding mistakes by the Lions. The Lions extended their lead 6-2 in the 5th with multiple extra base hits but the Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning with a two run double by Jaci Jeffers to make it a 6-4 game.
The Lions would put the game out of reach in the 6th, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits and an error to make it an 11-4 ballgame. The Tigers got a run back in the 7th but would go on to lose the contest, 11-5. This result would force the Tigers to have to take both games on Saturday if they wanted to make the SAC tournament.
Saturday rolled around and play was started early in an attempt to avoid the threat of a storm near McPherson. The Lions and Tigers looked like two different teams as there were just 3 runs scored across the first 5 innings as the Lions held a 2-1 lead in the tightly knotted contest.
The Lions would add a run in the 6th to make it 3-1 but in the bottom of the 6th, the Tigers would tie the game up with back-to-back RBI singles from Karmen De La Cruz and Hallie Thomas. However, in the top of the 7th, Rejino would get into a bases loaded jam and the Lions would clear the bases with a double into the left-centerfield gap, to give the Lions a 6-3 lead. This would be all the Lions needed as they would go on to win the game 6-3 and dash the Tigers’ hopes of a SAC tournament berth.
In game 4, the Tigers saw Chelsie Hirtler appear for her final game as a Tiger. The only scoring came from the Lions in the 4th inning when they put up a 7-run inning on five hits and an error. The Tigers were able to muster just five hits on the day as the offense struggled.
The Tigers finish the 2026 campaign with an overall record of 17-30 and a conference record of 9-27.
