Box Score Box Score

MANKATO, Minn. – The St. Scholastica softball team defeated the Northwestern College by a score of 9-1 in five innings this afternoon to capture the 2009 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Postseason Tournament Championship.

It is the 13th tournament championship in program history and the seventh in the last eight years. The win gives the Saints an overall record of 31-12. The 31 wins are the most since the 2006 season and the fifth time in history the Saints have achieved at least 30 wins.

CSS displayed some power as it home runs in each of the first four innings. #Kristin Swartz# (Jr.-Hermantown, Minn.) hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. #Merryssa Tiedeman# (Fr.-Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazaeppa) then led off the bottom of the second with a home run to left center to make it 2-0.

In the third inning, #Theresa Tauer# (Fr.-Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) hit a two-run home run to make it 4-0. Later in the third, #Mya Gordon# (Sr.-Duluth, Minn./Central) had a two-run single and #Robin Lake# (Sr.-Tamarack, Minn./McGregor) had a RBI-single to extend the lead to 7-0. After the Eagles got a run in the top of the fourth, Tiedeman would hit her second home run of the day, a two-run blast to center, in the bottom half to make the final score 9-1.

#Jenn Falk# (So.-Altona, Man.) pitched all five innings and struck out nine, while allowing three hits to win her 15th game of the season. Merryssa Tiedeman (Zumbrota, Minn/Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS) was 3-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Saints at the plate. In the three tournament games, Tiedeman was 7-for-9 with three home runs and seven RBIs.

The Saints will now have to wait and see if they get an at-large bid for the NCAA Division III Tournament. Those selections will be announced on NCAA.com via a web cast around 10 a.m. Monday morning.