Linfield Wildcats head to Texas for NCAA World Series after double home wins

MCMINNVILLE Ore. (KPTV) – The top-seeded Linfield softball program did it again Friday in McMinnville as the Wildcats keep dancing in the Division III tournament.

You gotta win one to win two and these Wildcats did just that with emphasis: 11-0 in game two, 13-to-1, mercy rules in five innings, both times out.

Coach Jackson Vaughan’s club of Catballers is now 48-and-2, Super-Regional champs with a ticket for the Division III World Series in back-to-back years.

“Literally if we would have lost, we’d just be going home tomorrow, and the team just dissipates and now at least we get to end it on the road together and end it win or lose in Texas,” Vaughan said.

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Junior second baseman Brynn Nelson went 6-for-8 at the plate and bopped a pair of homers against the Central College Dutch from Iowa as the ‘Cats keep scratching for the ultimate prize together.

“Getting back there and pushing for all three of our seniors and give them another game and extend our season one more week was our why. It was my personal why and it was a lot of our whys to keep playing together and getting a second chance on where we think we can do better,” Nelson said. “I do wear a lot of pride wearing Linfield and I’m so proud to be part of this team.”

Myrtle Point’s Tayah Kelley came back from throwing 196 pitches in 11 innings on Thursday to allowing just four hits combined in both five innings affairs on Friday for the senior All-American’s final game at home.

“It’s kind of surreal just because I have been here so long and now, I know that I won’t be playing again on this field, but I couldn’t have left it any happier than I could today, so it was worth it all,” Kelley said.

Sunday is graduation and on Tuesday, Linfield boards the bird ahead of their first game in the double-elimination eight-team tourney where the mercury will hover around 90 to 100 degrees on the Texas turf.

“Just because you make it there doesn’t mean anything once you get there,” Kelley said. “So it’s kind of about keeping your skill levels up and staying in the moment because we worked so hard to get here so why not just enjoy it while we’re there and play our butts off?”

These Wildcats last won it all in 2007 and 2011 and now they’ll head down to Marshall, Texas next week in the Elite Eight to become No. 1 as they are also seeded No. 1 here in this Division III tournament at Del Smith Stadium in McMinnville.

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