NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
ST. GEORGE — Sixteen softball teams from around the country descended on St. George’s Canyons Complex to decide a champion in the junior college ranks, with the NJCAA National Tournament kicking off Wednesday afternoon.
Some of the usual suspects — Salt Lake Community College, Blinn (Tex.) and Chipola (Fla.) — were there, as well as some newcomers to JUCO’s big dance, like Shelton State (Ala.), Eastern Arizona and Howard (Tex.).
The true double-elimination tournament began with eight games Wednesday and eight more on Thursday. Eventually a champion will be crowned with a title game scheduled for noon on Saturday and the “if necessary” game scheduled for 2 p.m.
SLCC, ranked No. 1 in the latest NJCAA poll, was in the first round of afternoon games and defeated Western Nebraska 5-1. The game featured an intriguing side story as the Bruins start former Region 9 star Kirsten “Kiki” Anderson, from Pine View, and the WNCC Cougars start former Canyon View player Kenzie Sawyer. The former prep rivals each had a hit in the game, but it was Anderson’s Bruins that won the battle.
“You know, it’s so great to be back,” Anderson said. “I’ve missed southern Utah so much. A lot has changed for me and it’s so awesome to be back here as part of a team like Salt Lake Community College. I have such a great coach and great teammates.”
Anderson left town a righty, but came back as a left-handed slap hitter who uses her athleticism to get on base. On her hit in the sixth inning, she beat out a bunt and advanced all the way to third base on an overthrow. She then scored on a sacrifice fly by teammate Raeana Gall.
Sawyer, a freshman power hitter who is among the nation’s leaders in home runs with 23 this season, had a single in the second inning. In the seventh, she came to the plate with SLCC ahead 5-1, two runners on and no one out. She ripped a shot to the right side, but SLCC first baseman Megan Reed speared the liner, stepped on first to double the base runner there, then gunned it to second base for a rare triple play that ended the game.
“Of course I’m disappointed in how the game turned out, but I am so happy to be back here and playing in front of family and friends,” Sawyer said. “This is a little setback, but hopefully we can get a few wins and keep it going.”
The Bruins scored four of their five runs in the first inning to stake pitcher Baylee Reeves to an early lead.
“It’s awesome to have an early lead like that,” Reeves said. “It makes me relax on the mound, knowing that I can throw strikes and trust my D.”
Other results from Wednesday have Northeastern Oklahoma beating Eastern Arizona 8-6, Blinn beating Georgia Perimeter 4-1, Chattanooga State (Tenn.) defeating Navarro (Tex.) 11-7, Chipola (Fla.) downing Shelton State 7-1, Howard edging Jefferson (Mo.) 4-3, Miami-Dade topping Temple (Tex.) 2-0 and Wallace State (Ala.) beating Wabash Valley (Ill.) 2-1.
The tourney continues Thursday beginning at 2:30 p.m.
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Game announcer Kelly "K-Dog" Campbell and his stat crew hard at work Wednesday, NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Former Pine View Panther and current SLCC Bruin Kirsten Anderson, NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
NJCAA Division I National Championship Softball Tournament, St. George, Utah, May 13, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Griffin has been in sports media since 1989 and has covered BYU, Utah State and the Utah Jazz as well as all sports in southern Utah. A journalism graduate of USU, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m.
Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 28 years and has five children ages 13 to 25.