Box Score (NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.) – The fourth-seeded Thomas More College softball team won its fourth Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship tournament with a 3-1 win over second-seeded Geneva College today (Friday, May 3, 2013) in the championship game at the Westminster College Softball Facility in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
With the win, the Saints improve to 24-17 and earn the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. It will be the Saints' fifth NCAA appearance in the program's history. The NCAA Division III Championship Tournament field and regional assignments will be announced on Monday (May 6) at 10 a.m. on the NCAA Championship Website (www.ncaa.com). With the loss, the Golden Tornadoes fall to 22-18.
Thomas More took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when junior center fielder Ashley Fletcher (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) scored on a run batted-in single by freshman right fielder Mamee Salzer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry).
The Saints extended the lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning when Salzer scored on a Golden Tornado error.
In the top of the sixth inning the Saints increased the lead to 3-0 when freshman designated player Haley Shuemake (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) scored on a RBI single by sophomore second baseman Hannah Curtis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain).
Geneva plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough as Thomas More won the game, 3-1.
Junior pitcher Ronni Burns (Dayton, Ohio/Carroll) earned the win as she pitched seven innings and gave up one run (earned) on six hits and struck out seven batters.
Thomas More was led at the plate by Shuemake, who was two-for-three with a double and a run scored, Salzer, who was two-for-four with a run batted-in and a run scored and junior third baseman Alex Walter (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon), who was two-for-three.
After the tournament, Walter, Salzer and junior first baseman Stefaney Turner (Franklin, Ohio/Carlisle) were named to the All-Tournament Team and Burns was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 PAC Tournament.
