Bracket

HAAC Softball Tournament Opening Round
Game #43/No. 1 CENTRAL METHODIST (31-10-1) vs. No. 8 GRACELAND (10-22)
Saturday, May 4 - 1 p.m. CT
Overland Park, Kan. - Blue Valley Recreational Complex
Live Stats: cmueagles.com
Twitter Updates: @cmueagles

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Central Methodist, the defending champion in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Softball Tournament and top seed for the second straight season, battles eight-seed Graceland (Iowa) on Saturday, May 4, to open play in the double-elimination tournament. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT at the Blue Valley Recreational Complex.

All games can be followed live online at cmueagles.com.

The winner of Central Methodist/Graceland plays the winner of No. 4 Evangel (Mo.)/No. 5 Peru State (Neb.) in the semifinals on Saturday at 3 p.m. The loser of the Eagles/Yellowjackets plays at 3 p.m. against the loser of the Crusaders/Bobcats in an elimination game.

Central Methodist defeated Graceland twice on March 23 by scores of 4-3 and 13-1 (5) and has won 13 straight games in the series. The Eagles' two wins over the Yellowjackets started a streak in which the team has won 25 of its last 26 contests. Central Methodist has won 16 straight overall.

The Eagles have won five straight HAAC Tournament games and are 9-2 in the event in the last two years. The Green and Black have won the tournament three times (2005, 2008, 2012) under coach Pat Reardon.

The HAAC Softball Tournament is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the 33rd Annual NAIA Softball National Championship, which starts with Opening Round play May 13-15.

Central Methodist won the HAAC regular-season championship for the third straight season and secured its second straight automatic berth in the National Championship.