No. 2 Linfield will have to take the hard road if it wants to win an NCAA Division III softball championship after the Wildcats dropped their opener at the national tournament in Marshall, Tex.
No. 7 Coe (Ia.) College broke up a shutout with a three-run sixth inning, the only scoring in a 3-0 win over Linfield.
The Wildcats (46-5) fall to the consolation bracket, where they’ll need to win four games to earn a berth in the best-of-three championship series next week. Linfield plays the Rowan-Trine loser in an elimination game at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Linfield, NCAA champions in 2007 and 2011, managed just two hits off Coe pitcher Ellie Thurow. Still, Linfield pitcher Tayah Kelley was able to match Thurow through five innings, giving up only one hit.
The sixth inning was the difference. Five Coe hits and a Linfield error led to a three-run inning. Madi Parson, Skyler Stookey and Shaylee Dodd had run-scoring hits for the Kohawks.
Before the sixth, Kelley was riding a streak of 31 consecutive scoreless innings.
Linfield’s best chance to score was the fourth. Katie Phillips and Kaili Saathoff reached base and were at second and third with one out, but were unable to advance.
Thurow set down the final 11 Linfield hitters.
It was a day of upsets, as among the first-round losers were No. 1 Salisbury and defending champion Christopher Newport also lost openers.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel