Notables
-CSS went 4-4 at the Tucson Invitational Games
-Howe led the team with 10 hits and six RBIs and was also 2-1 pitching during the trip
TUCSON, Ariz. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica softball team played late into the night Friday and came away with a split to conclude its Spring Break action at the Tucson Invitational Games.
UW-Platteville 10, CSS 2 (F/5)
The Saints dropped their first contest of the night to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville 10-2 in five innings.
The Pioneers (2-2) scored in four of the five innings they batted, including five runs in the third inning. Platteville led 7-0 before
Kayla Christopherson (Zimmerman, Minn./Zimmerman HS (Itasca CC)) hit a RBI single to bring in
Kacie Bjerk (Roseau, Minn./Roseau HS). The other CSS run came in the fifth inning on an
Olivia Howe (Scandia, Minn./Forest Lake HS) RBI single to score
Hannah Thul (Superior, Wis./Superior HS).
Tori Berg (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS) earned the loss for the Saints in her first collegiate start. Thul was 2-for-2 lead the six-hit attack from the Saints.
CSS 7, Mount Mary 6
The Saints stranded 14 base runners, but took advantage if six Blue Angel (4-11) errors to rally and win on a walk-off 7-6.
Mount Mary scored four runs in the top half of the first inning. CSS got one of those runs back when
Kailee Pedersen (Bonduel, Wis./Bonduel HS) scored on a double steal in the bottom frame. An
Ashley Pollema (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) sacrifice fly in the third and a Howe RBI single in the fourth cut the Mount Mary lead to 4-3.
After the Blue Angels added a run in the top of the fifth,
Krysta Felber (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) had a RBI single in the bottom half to cut it to 5-4. Immediately following the single, Thul scored on a double steal to tie the game at 5-5. Two batters later, Howe ripped a RBI single to bring in Felber and give the Saints their first lead at 6-5.
The Blue Angels tied the contest in the sixth inning at 6-6 and it remained that way until the bottom of the seventh. After a quick out in the inning,
Toni Bishop (Roseville, Minn./Roseville HS) singled. She would be pinch-ran for by
Sydney Plemel (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS).
Josie Fourre (Albany, Minn./Albany HS) followed and was hit by a pitch. A Pollema infield single loaded the bases with one out.
Karissa Ratcliff (North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS) came in to pinch hit and put the ball in play. Plemel scored the game-winning run after Mount Mary committed their sixth error of the contest to make the final 7-6.
Felber and Bishop each head three hits for the Saints. Howe not only drove in two runs, but also earned the win in the pitching circle, recording eight strikeouts in the victory.
Up Next:
The Saints (7-9) will travel to face Augsburg University on Tuesday, March 26 for a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.
