Salina, Kan. – The fifth-seeded Friends University Falcons took care of business in entirely different ways in winning three games today (Apr. 30) at the KCAC postseason tournament in Salina, Kan. The Falcons had two walkoff victories sandwiched around a run-rule win in advancing to the KCAC Championship tomorrow (May 1) and clinching a spot in the NAIA National Tournament for the fifth time in head coach Suzanne Unruh's eight-year tenure.

Game One vs. Tabor

The Falcons started the day with a dramatic 8-7 walk-off win over Tabor College on Raeleen Hernandez's game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh that plated pinch runner Zoie Redgate.

Also factoring in heavily later in the day, Hernandez earlier singled home a run following RBI doubles by Tamara Lozoya and Regan Witt in a three-run Falcon first inning.

Tabor broke through in the second and got a three-run double by Mylee Milne that capped a four-run second inning and put the Bluejays on top.

Later down 5-4, a two-run single from Teagan Moreno put the Falcons back in front in the third and a solo homer by Ezra Arredondo in the fourth made it 7-5.

But the Bluejays (22-25) didn't go quietly and tied the score when Rachaely Yaya hit a two-run homer in the fifth to tie the score at 7-7. It stayed that way until Hernandez's heroics in the bottom of the seventh.

Izzy Jones had three hits and the Falcons got two hits apiece from Arredondo, Witt, Hernandez and Madison Nightengale.

Jenna Ormiston started and went five innings with three earned runs allowed and a pair of walks and strikeouts. Ainsley McGill earned the win with scoreless sixth and seventh frames.

Game Two vs. Ottawa

The Falcons' second game had a healthy dose of McGill, who needed only 43 pitches to get through five innings in a 9-1 walkoff win over the third-seeded (RV) Ottawa University Braves. She gave up just one run and struck out one batter with no walks.

Magana got the Falcons going early with an RBI triple and then scored on a single by Arredondo in the first.

Nightengale then plated Hernandez with a double in the bottom of the second before a three-run blast by Chloe Enslinger broke the game open and made it 6-0.

After Lozoya doubled home two in the fourth, Enslinger launched her second homer of the day in the fifth to provide the margin for the run-rule victory.

Powered by Enslinger's two homers and four RBIs, Magana, Arredondo and Lozoya also contributed a pair of hits in the Falcons win over the Braves (33-18).

Game Three vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan

The Falcons and the second-seeded (RV) Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles were locked in a scoreless duel when the Eagles scored on an error in the seventh for the first run of the game.

Down to their last out with a runner on first, Hernandez wasn't ready to let the Falcons season end and came through with a clutch single to move pinch runner Keara Cunningham over to second, who came in to run after Moreno led off the inning with a single. Lexy Melo and Cambell Riordan then worked back-to-back walks to set the stage for Magana's game-winning single that lifted the Falcons into tomorrow's KCAC Championship game and clinched an NAIA National Tournament berth.

Ormiston was effective and gave the Falcons a chance throughout, allowing just one unearned run with a pair of strikeouts and walks over seven innings to earn her 17^th victory of the season.

Hernandez's two-out single in the seventh capped off a perfect 3-of-3 game at the plate.  Riordan also had two hits in the Falcons win over OKWU.

Brooklyn Purtell led the Eagles with two hits.

Addison Dorsay was also solid in the circle for the Eagles (39-13), going six innings with one run allowed and two strikeouts.

The Falcons, now 31-19 on the season, will face the top-seeded and No. 14-ranked Evangel University Valor tomorrow at noon and will need two victories over the Valor to capture the third KCAC tournament title in Unruh's tenure.  With a win in the opener, the two teams would square off approximately 30 minutes later in a winner-take all matchup.

KCAC Softball Tournament Bracket