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Box Score 2 (CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - The top-seeded Thomas More College softball team split two games today (Thursday, May 1, 2014) on the first day of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament at Thomas More Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The Saints defeated fourth-seeded Bethany College, 4-3, in 10 innings, but fell to second-seeded Geneva College, 5-4, in a winners' bracket game.
With the split, Thomas More is 30-9 and will play third-seeded Washington & Jefferson College at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Friday, May 2) in an elimination game. The winner of the elimination game will then need to defeat Geneva twice two win the championship. The first game of the championship series is at 1 p.m. and the "if necessary" game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
In the first game of the day, the Saints scored two runs in the first, but Bethany took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh as it scored one run in the second, one in the sixth and one in the seventh. Thomas More tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh and forced extra innings when sophomore shortstop Ana Walter (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) had a run batted-in double, scoring senior catcher Stefaney Turner (Franklin, Ohio/Carlisle). In the bottom of the 10th, freshman first baseman Jamie Ertel (Mt. Healthy, Ohio/McAuley) hit a walk-off single scoring sophomore designated player Hayley Shuemake (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) for the game-winning score.
Senior pitcher Ronni Burns (Dayton, Ohio/Carroll) pitched seven innings and had a no-decision as she gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and struck out eight. Sophomore pitcher Mamee Salzer (Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry) pitched three shutout innings of relief and gave up only three hits to earn the win.
Walter and Shuemake led the Saints at the plate as they each had two hits in the game.
In the second game of the day for the Saints, Geneva plated two runs in the third, one in the fifth and two in the seventh, while holding Thomas More to one run in the third, two in the fourth and one in the seventh for the 5-4 win.
Three Saints had multiple hits in the game as Walter was two-for-three with a double and a run scored, Shuemake was two-for-four with a RBI and junior left fielder Catie Luck (Maineville, Ohio/Little Miami) was two-for-three with a home run, a RBI and a run scored. Ertel had a home run that hit off the scoreboard in left field.
In the circle, Salzer suffered the loss as she pitched three innings and gave up two runs (both earned) on four hits, while striking out four. Burns pitched four innings of relief and gave up three runs (all earned) on four hits and struck out one.
