MAY 19, 2026, SPARTANBURG, SC – The Grand Rapids Community College softball team opened play at the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series with a split on Tuesday in Spartanburg, defeating 17-seed Bryant & Stratton College 8-3 before falling to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Kirkwood Community College 11-3 in five innings.
The split snapped the Raiders' 12-game winning streak as GRCC moved to 42-9 overall heading into an elimination matchup Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Region XII foe Cuyahoga Community College.
Against Bryant & Stratton in the opener, the Raiders found themselves trailing 2-1 before freshman Tia Schone delivered a momentum-shifting two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning — her first homer of the season — to put GRCC in front 3-2.
The Bobcats answered quickly to even the game at 3-3 in the fourth, but the Raiders responded again in the fifth when Kenady O'Leary led off with a triple and later scored on a wild pitch.
Still tied entering the sixth inning, GRCC erupted for five runs on five hits to take control. Pinch hitter Lilly Klop ripped a go-ahead double down the left field line to give the Raiders a 5-3 lead, and two batters later O'Leary blasted a two-run homer to extend the advantage to 8-3.
GRCC totaled 13 hits in the victory, led by O'Leary and Caitlyn Horvath with three hits apiece. O'Leary finished a double shy of the cycle, recording a double, triple and home run while driving in two runs.
Kalani Stowe started in the circle and struck out nine batters over 4.2 innings before re-entering in the seventh inning and striking out all three batters she faced to close out the win. Megan Lillie improved to a perfect 16-0 on the season after earning the victory in relief.
In Tuesday's second game, the Raiders squared off with the nation's top-ranked team in Kirkwood and fell behind 5-0 through three innings.
GRCC answered with three runs in the fourth inning to briefly cut into the deficit. Schone delivered another big hit with a two-run single before Grace Salley added an RBI single to make it 5-3.
However, the Raiders managed just one more hit the rest of the game — a fifth-inning single by Stowe — while Kirkwood's offense continued to roll. The Eagles finished with 12 hits en route to the run-rule victory.
GRCC will now face familiar Region XII opponent Cuyahoga on Wednesday afternoon in an elimination game, with the winner advancing further in the national tournament bracket.
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