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North Central Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. – The St. Scholastica softball team defeated Otterbein College 16-11 in a wild game to start the day on Friday, but fell to North Central College (Ill.) 8-2 to end its trip at the Tucson Invitational Games.

The Saints end the trip with a 4-8 overall record, going 3-7 in Arizona. The next CSS victory will be the 500th in program history.

The Saints opened their last day in Arizona with a 16-11 come-from-behind victory. CSS plated seven in the top of the seventh to earn the win.

In the top of the first, the Saints took advantage of a pair of Cardinal errors to plate six in the inning. #Bonnie Kowalczyk# (Fr.-Menomonee Falls, Wis.), #Erika Solin# (Sr.-Duluth, Minn./Central), and #Kali Carlson# (So.-Duluth, Minn./Central) all had RBI-singles in the inning, while #Leah Hettwer# (Fr.-Andover, Minn./St. Francis) drove in two with a single.

After Otterbein led off the bottom of the first with a home run, CSS added three more runs in the second as #Brittni Johnson# (Jr.-Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln) drove in two with a triple and Erika Solin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) had another run-scoring single to make it 9-1.

The Cardinals scored a run in the second and got back into the contest in the third, scoring to five runs to make it 9-7. Otterbein then took a 10-9 lead in the fourth on a three-run home run.

Both teams would strand runners at third in the fifth inning and go down in order in the sixth. The Saints started the top of the seventh with their first six batters reaching base. #Kristin Swartz# (Sr.-Hermantown, Minn.) tied the game with a bases loaded single and #Theresa Tauer# (So.-Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) was hit by a pitch to force in a run to give CSS a 11-10 lead. Bonnie Kowalczyk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls HS) added insurance with a two-run double and Brittni Johnson (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln HS (Northland CC)) and Leah Hettwer (Andover, Minn./St. Francis HS) followed with RBI-singles to make it 16-10.The Cardinals scored a run on an error to make the final score 16-11.

#Darcy Roach# (Fr.-East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart) earned the win in relief with five strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Natalie Zwicker had the loss in relief for the Cardinals. Erika Solin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) was 3-for-5 to lead CSS at the plate.

The Saints ended their trip with a 8-2 loss to North Central College. The Cardinals scored at least one run in each of the first three innings to jump out to a 5-0 lead. CSS got on the board in the bottom of the third on a RBI-single by Theresa Tauer (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS).

North Central added a run in the fifth and two runs in the top of the seventh to extend its lead to 8-1. #Merryssa Tiedeman# (So.-Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa) would hit a solo home run in the bottom half to make the final score 8-2.

#Kayla Jenkins# (Jr.-Esko, Minn.) had the loss for the Saints, while Holly Roadruck earned the win for the Cardinals. Tiedeman went 2-for-4, scoring both runs to lead CSS offensively.

The Saints return to the Midwest and will play in the Coe College next Saturday and Sunday in Iowa. The Saints will open with 20th-ranked Coe at 11 a.m. and then face the University of Wisconsin-Platteville at 1 p.m.