DENVER, CO- The Cougars have made history all year as they set the record for most wins in a row in program history and hosted their first ever NCAA DII South Central Regional. They looked to keep their season alive on Saturday as they took on Oklahoma Christian in a do or die contest that they needed to win to force a second game later in the day. After taking an early lead, a tough third inning for CCU did them in as their incredible season ended with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Eagles.
The Cougars came out swinging in the first as
Kat Hanson lined the first pitch of the game off the pitcher for a single. After
Arriana Wright walked,
Felesha LePenske found a hole and smacked an RBI single to right center to put her team on top 1-0 early.
Lisa Liddell started in the circle for CCU, and she worked through a pair of scoreless innings to start the game. A pivotal moment in the game came in the top of the third as LePenske was hit by a pitch in the left wrist and was forced to exit the game with the injury. The momentum seemed to swing at that moment as one of the best players on the Cougars exited for the rest of the contest.
The Eagles used the shift in energy as they plated five runs in the third, aided by three errors from CCU to take a four run lead. A double steal in the fourth from the Cougars saw
Paisley Williamson race home to trim the deficit to 5-2, but that was as close as the host team would get the rest of the way. Sacrifice flies in the fourth and fifth from the Eagles made it 7-2, and they held on for the five run victory to advance to Super Regionals to take on fellow Lone Star Conference foe West Texas A&M.
Colorado Christian conclude a truly historic 2026 season with much to be proud of, including becoming the regular season RMAC champions for the second straight year, hosting the RMAC Tournament for the second year in a row, winning a program record 47 straight games, hosting their first ever NCAA South Central Regional and advancing to the Regional final for just the second time in program history. The Cougars will dearly miss their seniors
Leah Garcia and
Arriana Wright for their incredible contributions on the field and off of it as leaders on their team. With a core of youth on the team, Head Coach
Larry Hays will look to bring back a talented roster in 2027 as CCU looks to push towards a regional title and further into the postseason in the years to come.
