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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The St. Scholastica softball team was defeated by Ripon College (Wis.) on Saturday, 3-2, to end its season at the NCAA Regional Tournament at Gelein Field at Carson Park.

The Saints struck first in the top of the second. Tiffany Hudack led off the inning with a single. After moving to second on a sacrifice she came around to score on a Jen Falk (Altona, Manitoba/W.C. Miller Collegiate (Rainy River CC)) RBI single down the right field line.

Inside the circle, Falk kept the Red Hawks in check through the first three innings, but in the fourth Ripon had back-to-back, one-out doubles to tie the game at 1-1. However, Falk was able to limit the damage, inducing a pop out and a strikeout to end the inning.

Rachel Perushek (Eveleth, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert HS (Mesabi Range CC)) advanced to second on an error in the fifth inning. CSS would get the bases loaded after Theresa Tauer (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) was hit by a pitch and Merryssa Tiedeman (Zumbrota, Minn/Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS) drew a walk. Bonnie Kowalczyk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls HS) followed and drew a walk to force in Perushek and put the Saints back up 2-1.

The Red Hawks responded in the bottom half with back-to-back doubles again to put runners at second and third. Darcy Roach (East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart HS) then came in relief of Falk and Alli Jensen hit a deep sacrifice fly in foul territory to score a run. But Roach then got a fly out to keep the score tied at 2-2.

CSS put the first two batters on base in the sixth, but could not get anyone around to score. Then in the bottom half, Ripon's leadoff batter reached on a CSS error. After a sacrifice and a strikeout, Jordan Hester hit a RBI double just out of the reach of Kali Carlson (Duluth, Minn/Duluth Central HS) in right field to make it 3-2 Red Hawks.

Tiedeman led off the top of the seventh with a double to right center. Unfortunately for the Saints, that is where she would stay as Ripon went on to win 3-2.

In the end it was the lack of hitting that did the Saints in down the stretch. CSS finished with just four hits in the loss. Ripon moves on to face the University of Wisconsin-River Falls later today.

The Saints will end with a record of 29-15. The 29 wins matches last season's win total. This was the program's second NCAA Regional Tournament appearance and they finish with an identical 1-2 record as they did the first time around.

CSS will say goodbye to a senior class of six. Jen Falk (Altona, Manitoba/W.C. Miller Collegiate (Rainy River CC)), Kayla Jenkins (Esko, Minn/Esko HS), Brittni Johnson (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln HS (Northland CC)), Rachel Perushek (Eveleth, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert HS (Mesabi Range CC)), Betsy Wehseler (Ironton, Minn./Crosby-Ironton HS), and Jenn Shaw (Northfield, Minn/Northfield HS) have all had great careers for the CSS softball program.

For future St. Scholastica softball news keep checking csssaints.com.