Cougars sweep the Bearcats

• Columbia College wins its second consecutive AMC tournament.

The Columbia College (44-14) fans were treated to a defensive gem, with the Cougars shutting out the potent offense of McKendree (25-22), leaving seven Bearcat runners stranded, three of them in scoring position.

KATE SILVER/Missourian Tara Gaines, right, checks on the runner at first after tagging out McKendree’s Erin Gertz at second base. Gaines ran from third to tag Gertz in a rundown. The Cougars beat McKendree on Saturday for the AMC tournament championship.

“That worried us for a little bit,” said Cougar coach Wendy Spratt. “But I had a feeling our defense and pitching would get us out of that jam. Sure enough they did.”

Cougar third baseman Tara Gaines, the AMC Player of the Year, was the offensive leader, hitting the game-winnning RBI in the top of the third and scoring the insurance run in the sixth.

“She’s one of the kids any coach wants to have,” Spratt said. “When you put up the effort she has, it pays off in the end.”

On the defensive side, Gaines provided the game’s most memorable play. With the Cougars clinging to a one-run lead in the fourth, McKendree’s Erin Gertz hit a leadoff blast to right-center and ran to second with no outs. One play later, Gaines was involved in a rundown with Gertz who tried to advance to third on an infield grounder to second baseman Whitney Fletchall. Gaines chased Gertz all the way back to second, tagging out the runner as she dove for the bag.

Cougar pitching dominated yet again, and not just Saturday. Cougar pitcher Natalie Buitink threw a 4-0 shutout in the opening-round game Friday against Missouri Baptist and Jayne Miller tossed a no-hitter in the 3-0 semifinal win against McKendree on Saturday. Buitink then showed her senior experience in shutting out the Bearcats.

Buitink, the AMC Pitcher of the Year, struck out three and allowed no walks in six innings. Miller came in in relief in the seventh, after Buitink suffered cramps in her right shoulder. Miller retired the side on two infield grounders and a pop fly to give the Cougars the win.

“Natalie did a good job as always,” said Spratt, the AMC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.

The most serious challenge to No. 11 NAIA Columbia College came in the top of the third, when McKendree’s Danna Gilbert drilled the ball to right field and advanced to third with one out. Nikki Goodwin then lined out to Cougar shortstop and AMC Freshman of the Year Kristina Jones for the second out, and Buitink closed out the inning by striking out Mandy Loberg.

The Cougar offense, which averaged an AMC-best 4.81 runs per game during the regular season, was limited to five hits. McKendree pitcher Jamie Doudy gave a valiant effort, forcing many Cougar batters into pop flies and striking out one. But in the end it was too much Cougar pressure that did the Bearcats in.

“I had confidence that we’d pull through no matter what,” said Cougar catcher Carly Millsap, member of the All-AMC first team. “We beat this team all year and I had no doubt in my mind that we’d beat them again in the championship.”

The Cougars move on to the NAIA Region V Tournament on Thursday in Springfield riding an 11-game winning streak.

“We’re up and everyone is playing great right now,” Buitink said. “Everything is going our way and everything is clicking for us.”

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