The Nebraska Kearney softball team secured a spot in the 2025 MIAA Tournament by beating Fort Hays State in game one of a double header, 4-1, Saturday in Kansas.
The Tigers bounced back to take the nightcap, 6-3, and ensure they would make the 10-team, single elimination next week in Hays. Weather permitting, the tournament starts Wednesday (April 30) and concludes on Saturday (May 3). This is UNK’s first postseason trip since 2022 when they went 2-2 in an eight-team, double elimination MIAA tourney in Edmond, Okla. 
The Lopers (23-26, 9-15 MIAA) picked up their third win in Hays (24-20, 9-15) since 2012 as California sophomore Daniella Morillas threw a five-hit complete game and Colorado senior Addy Deal had a pinch hit two-run double.
UNK broke open a scoreless game with a three-run fifth that included five hits including back-to-back bunt singles. That’s all Morillas (7-6) needed as she struck out one, didn’t walk a Tiger and got 10 ground ball outs. She needed just 86 pitches to record her fifth complete game with Wahoo sophomore shortstop Mary Chvatal and California sophomore catcher Gianna Galli both going 2 for 4.
Hays got a six-hit complete game from Morgan Schmidt (12-8) in the second game and took advantage of three Loper errors to score three unearned runs. Lexi Mohr (3 for 3) hit a solo homer, her seventh of the year, with the Tigers scoring runs in each of the first three innings.
Arizona junior left fielder Alivia De La Cruz went 2 for 3 with Lincoln senior first baseman Leah Jurgenshaving a two-run double in the seventh. Finally, Iowa redshirt junior Madeline Janssen allowed just one earned run over the final 4.2 innings.
UNK, Hays and Northwest Missouri State all had 9-15 records to tie for ninth place in the standings. Northwest lost a tie breaker to the Lopers and Tigers with Hays garnering the ninth seed over the Lopers. Thus, they face 7th-seed Missouri Western (31-20, 12-12) Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in round one. The Griffs swept the Lopers, 2-1 and 5-2, back on March 10 in Kearney. The winner faces 2nd-seed and nationally ranked Pittsburg State (37-13) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The MIAA Softball Championship Bracket. UNK faces Missouri Western in the first round on Wednesday, with the winner taking on Pitt State on Thursday.
