Ashland, Ore. – Sophomore pitcher Lily Strand (Evergreen Park, Ill./Saint Louis/Evergreen Park) tossed a three-hit shutout, her team-leading sixth shutout of the season, to help lead the No. 2 seeded Saint Xavier University softball team (37-7/16-0 CCAC) to a 7-0 victory over No. 4 Keiser University (Fla.) Tuesday afternoon in the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round Ashland Bracket hosted by Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore. Strand didn't allow another base hit after a leadoff single in the top of the 4^th, finishing with two walks and three strikeouts to improve to 17-5 in the circle in 2025.

• Junior outfielder Fiona Crane (Evergreen Park, Ill./Northern Illinois/Mother McAuley) went 2-for-4, including a three-run triple, with two stolen bases and a run scored.
• Freshman infielder Danielle Goodman (Poplar Grove, Ill./North Boone) was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run.
• Junior infielder Kaitlyn Wright (Chicago, Ill./Marist) also finished 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored.
• Junior infielder Mallory O'Connor (Bourbonnais, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Bishop McNamara) had two hits in three at-bats with a triple and a run.
• Senior infielder Abbie Carr (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) also went 2-for-3, adding a double and a run scored.
• O'Connor lined a triple to the gap in right center and scored on Wright's sac fly to put the Cougars up 1-0 in the bottom of the 2^nd.
• Goodman extended the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the 4^th when she sliced a two-runs single to right center field.
• SXU plated four runs in the bottom of the 6^th, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple by Crane. Sophomore outfielder Aubrey Wroble (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) picked up an RBI on a safety squeeze bunt to drive in Crane.
• After allowing a leadoff walk, Strand rolled three ground balls to advance Saint Xavier in the elimination bracket.

No. 2 Saint Xavier (37-7/16-0 CCAC) plays No. 5 College of Idaho on Wednesday, May 14. The game is slated for a 1:00 pm central start.