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Saturday, September 16 Rutgers-Camden used three unearned runs to win its first national championship in any sport with a 3-2, comeback victory over St. Thomas in Monday afternoon's title game at the Division III Softball College World Series in Raleigh, N.C. The third-ranked Raptors (47-5), in their first trip to nationals, denied the top-ranked Tommies a third consecutive title. The New Jersey school scored two one-run victories over St. Thomas in a two-day stretch, and won 37 of its last 38 games after a 10-4 start. The Tommies (48-4) had the tying run at second in the bottom of seventh inning with one out, but had two strikeouts to end the season. With a win, the Toms would have forced a Tuesday rematch for the title. St. Thomas went 30-2 in postseason play over the last three seasons, both one-run losses. They claimed the school's 22nd top-two NCAA team finish (11 firsts, 11 seconds), and fourth top-five national softball finish in the last five seasons. Rutgers senior All-American Michelle Schlichtig (32-3) struck out eight and allowed four hits and two walks to beat the Toms for the second day in a row. Tommie sophomore All-American Maria Bye allowed no earned runs, three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, but it wasn't enough. On the day, UST pitchers allowed just one earned run in 17 innings but couldn't get to a Tuesday rematch. Earlier, Nikki Conway's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning let the Toms stay alive with a 5-1 win over Muskingum. Janet Nagle pitched all 10 innings and allowed one run and four hits to move to 84-7 on her career (.923) -- the second-best winning percentage in D-III history. She finished with 696 strikeouts. Bye's two-out, two-run single scored the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. In the Camden game, Nagle's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie. But Rutgers answered in the top of the sixth with a two-out walk, a passed ball and an RBI single to make it 2-2. The Raptors used a hit and an infield throwing error in the top of the seventh for the go-ahead run. The Raptors also scored one run in the top of the fourth aided by two errors. In the bottom of the fourth, Bye reached with a leadoff walk and stole second base. Pinch runner Anne Carpentier took third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Nagle's single. Conway's solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, her 17th of the season, staked St. Thomas to a 1-0 lead and extended her hitting streak to all 12 postseason games. It was the first time in 43 career games where Conway homered but the Toms lost to a Division III foe. Conway finished with 48 home runs -- third most in Division III history -- and a D-III record 229 runs plus 230 hits (117 extra-base hits) and 159 RBI in 188 games. This season, she had an .896 slugging percentage with 17 doubles, one triple and 17 homers. The Toms' 48 season wins tied a Division III record held by The College of New Jersey and last accomplished in 1995. The Tommies also broke the Division III home run record with 72 in 52 games. Click on the previous game story to view four action photos from the 5-1, 10-inning win earlier Monday that eliminated Muskingum. The Tommies set or tied at least 15 school season records in 2006: Team •Wins -- 48 (old record 46, 2004) •Games -- 52 (old record 50, 2004) •Postseason wins -- 10 (tied old record 10, 2004 and 2005) •RBI -- 320 (old record 286, 2005) •Strikeouts by UST Pitchers -- 437 (old record 388, 2005) •HRs -- 72 (old record 40, 2004) •Win% -- .929, 48-4 (old record .920, 46-4 2004) •Hits -- 482 (old record 459, 2004) •Total Bases -- 777 (old record 684, 2004) Individual •RBI -- 61 Nikki Conway (old record 49, Kaja Martinson 2004) •Hits -- 80 by Carrie Embree (old record 70, Michelle Wong 2004) •Games -- 52 by Nikki Conway, Mandy Evans, Janet Nagle, Maria Bye, Carrie Embree (old record 50 by several) •HRs: 17 by Nikki Conway (old record 11 by Nikki Conway, 2003 and 2005, and Kaja Martinson 2004) •Extra-Base Hits -- 35 by Nikki Conway (17 doubles, 1 triple, 17 doubles) •Putouts -- 414, Nikki Conway (old record 378, Conway, 2005) Post-Game Quotes (Courtesy Peace College): Coach John Tschida: "They (Rutgers-Camden) have a great team, great pitcher, great defense and they play hard and always play to win. Our team played and always worked hard. It’s disappointing but it’s more upsetting that this will be the last time our girls and seniors will play together. "Our seniors always led by example. We will just work hard with every player on our team, but our seniors have made that an easy transition because of how they led the younger members of the team." R-C Coach Carl Taylor "It doesn’t get any better than this. We didn’t hit well today but we got some breaks that went our way. I worked hard to get this program where it is today. These players did what couldn’t be done. "We have a great team coming back and only have to replace one senior, although it’s Michelle (Schlichtig), she did a great job leading the younger players. We want to be back, but it will not be as easy as this year without Michelle. "She (Michelle) had some stuff today. I told every one of our players that this pitcher has her stuff and she was going to get it done. She definitely saved the best for last." R-C Pitcher Michelle Schlictig: "The crowd today showed how much this means for our school. We had great fans, our athletic director, provost, faculty, and staff. We had the loudest crowd out of any team and it was great to bring a championship back to Camden. "Every senior wants to end their senior year with a win. When I was on the mound I stayed focused and the thought of losing never crossed my mind. I just stuck with the game plan that coach (Carl Taylor) had for the game and it worked out." Nikki Conway's walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning let top-ranked St. Thomas post a 5-1 victory over Muskingum in Monday's first elimination game at the Division III Softball Championships in Raleigh, N.C. The Tommies (48-3) tied the Division III record for season wins and advanced to Monday's 2 p.m. championship round game vs. Rutgers-Camden (46-5). The Toms need to win that game to force a Tuesday rematch for the championship. UST is assured of a top-two national finish -- the school's 22nd NCAA team top two. The 48 wins matches The College of New Jersey's record (done four times, the last in 1995). Conway was very humble with her comments. “I think everyone in the park knew what pitch was coming. (Erica) Hoyt had to put it in the strike zone or she would have walked home the winning run. She is a great pitcher and it was a great game.” Coach John Tschida agreed with the talent level of Hoyt, “Today we had 13 hits off a pitcher who is a legend (Hoyt). We are just very lucky to have Nikki (Conway). She is a special player.” Janet Nagle (25-2) got the pitching win as she threw a four-hitter and worked all 10 innings for the longest game of her career. She walked three and struck out three. The Muskies (46-6) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the ninth inning with a leadoff double, a bunt and an infield single. St. Thomas outhit the Muskies 13-4, led by freshman Morgan Betker's three hits, but stranded 13 runners in the third through ninth innings. They trailed 1-0 going to the bottom of the ninth, but tied the game on Maria Bye's two-out single. Conway ran her hitting streak to 11 games. In 11 postseason games she's batting .528 (19-for-36) with 15 runs and 20 RBI. In 13 games in May she's hitting .550 with 26 RBI, 19 hits and 16 runs. The Toms had the bases loaded four times in the game and finally broke through in the 10th. Kristina Trapp singled, pinch-hitter Colleen Owen singled, then Carrie Embree reached on a two-out error. Conway worked the count 3-1, and with the pitcher needing to avoid a walk, Conway swung and hit her 47th career homer over the left-field fence to continue her amazing postseason prowess. The Tommies missed a great scoring chance in the bottom of the third as Conway was up with one out and the bases loaded but lined hard into a double play at third place. UST also had runners at first and second with two out in the fourth but couldn't score, and runners at first and second with one out but a running catch at the fence saved two runs. All-American Erica Hoyt pitched for the Muskies. She set down the first seven batters but worked out of six jams from the third through ninth innings. Conway stars, but Toms fall short Senior All-American Nikki Conway went 3-for-3 and broke the Division III career runs record, but No. 3-ranked Rutgers-Camden held on for a 5-4 win over top-ranked St. Thomas in Sunday's winners' bracket game at the Division III Softball College World Series in Raleigh, N.C. The Raptors (46-5), playing in their first national tournament, have won 36 of their last 37 games. They erased a 3-2 deficit with three unearned runs in the fifth inning, capped by Amber Parker's two-out, two-run single. Two-time All-America pitcher Michelle Schlichtig allowed four earned runs, six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. The Raptors play in Monday's 1:30 p.m. title game, and need a win Monday or Tuesday to take the championship. The Tommies (47-3) play a 10 a.m. elimination game Monday vs. Muskingum, which won two Sunday games to stay alive. The Toms need to win twice Monday to force a Tuesday title game. They had a 29-game postseason win streak halted, including 20 consecutive NCAA playoff wins. The five runs matched a season-high allowed by St. Thomas. "We’ve lost before," Coach John Tschida said after the game. "We always say that if you’re afraid of losing, you shouldn’t compete. We always want battles, and we got one today. We’ll just worry about taking care of our business tomorrow on the field." On the other side, C-R coach Carl Taylor was all smiles. "We played well today and beat a great team, but we still have one more game to go to win this thing. I feel we earned the right to be in this position, but we are not satisfied with second place at this point." The Toms, who had four errors and left eight on base, trailed 5-3 going into the seventh. Conway tripled and scored on Bye's RBI single for a 5-4 deficit. Mandy Evans' hard hit to center was chased down at the warning track, and the Toms stranded the tying runner at second base. Conway's RBI double and Bye's RBI single in the top of the fifth inning put UST ahead 3-2. Senior Janet Nagle came on to pitch in the last of the fifth, but two walks and an error loaded the bases with one out. An illegal pitch sent one home to tie the score, and a two-run single made it 5-3. Nagle took the loss -- just her second of the season (24-2) and seventh of her career (83-7). Conway also scored on a squeeze bunt in the first inning, but Rutgers scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning to take the lead. Conway's seventh-inning run was the 227th of her career (in 187 games) as she broke the NCAA Division III record of 225 set by New Jersey's Michelle Carlson (206 games, 1991-95). Conway, who ran her hitting streak to 10 games, is now batting .567 (17-for-30) with 14 runs and 16 RBI in 10 postseason games. In 12 games in May she's hitting .529 with 22 RBI, 17 hits and 15 runs. "I know one thing, (Nikki) Conway is impossible to get out," Schlichtig said. "After you get her to keep the ball in the park, you give a sigh of relief, then you still know it’s all up hill with the rest of their lineup. We’re excited and ready for tomorrow. We might have been overlooked coming in here, but we have picked up a lot of support from fans and even other teams during the tournament." Bye went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs with two singles and a sacrifice bunt. Big inning sparks Tommies Janet Nagle homered and pitched a five-inning victory as top-ranked St. Thomas cruised to a 13-2, five-inning win over Muskingum 13-2 in Saturday's winners' bracket game at the Division III Softball College World Series in Raleigh, N.C. The Tommies (47-2), who pounded 15 hits, advanced to Sunday's 4 p.m. winner's bracket game vs. Rutgers-Camden, and is assured a top-four finish. Rutgers-Camden, which lost to St. Thomas 4-3 in March, won 5-0 Saturday over Coe. Muskingum (44-5) plays an elimination game Sunday at 1 p.m. The Toms ran their postseason win streak to 29, including 20 NCAA playoff victories. Nagle moved to 24-0 in career postseason games. "We expected a close battle," said UST coach John Tschida, "and to get that many runs was a blessing. We continued to attempt to produce on offense because Muskingum is a very good hitting team. When you get to this point in the season, you have to score when you can because everyone is capable of coming back." Nagle's two-run homer -- the 24th of her career and the team's 70th of the season -- capped a seven-run fourth inning that built a 9-1 lead. She allowed two runs, four hits and one walk with three strikeouts in the five-inning win. Junior All-American Carrie Embree went 3-for-3 with an intentional walk and three runs scored. Embree has reached base in all eight plate appearances in two games at nationals (5-for-5, three walks). Senior All-American Nikki Conway had two hits, two RBI and two runs and now has 224 career runs, one off the Division III record. Sophomore All-American Maria Bye had two hits and four RBI; senior Mandy Evans had two hits and three RBI; and senior Ashley Carlblom and Nagle each had two hits and two RBI. UST led just 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning when it exploded for seven runs. A bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Conway, RBI singles by Bye and Carlblom, a two-run single by Evans, and Nagle's two-run homer made it 9-1. The Toms added four in the top of the fifth inning, keyed by Bye's two-run single. "It’s an easy train to hop on when everyone else on your team is hitting so well" Nagle said. "Hitting is contagious and that was obvious when I stepped up to the plate. We felt we needed to be very well prepared because they (Muskingum) are a very tough team." Embree lifts Toms past Williams Carrie Embree's RBI single in the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and a two-out wild pitch scored an insurance run as St. Thomas topped Williams College 5-3 in Friday's first-round softball game at the Division III College World Series in Raleigh, N.C. The top-ranked Tommies (46-2) advance to a 5:30 p.m. winners' bracket game Saturday vs. Muskingum, a 3-0 winner over Linfield. St. Thomas ran its three-season postseason win streak to 28, including 19 NCAA playoff victories. Senior All-American Janet Nagle extended her career postseason record to 23-0 as she worked the last four innings and allowed an unearned run, two hits, no walks with three strikeouts. Starter Maria Bye allowed one earned run and one hit in the first three innings. Embree, who Thursday was named first-team Division III All-America, went 2-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and one run. Fiona Lodge scored the go-ahead run in the sixth after a leadoff single, and also went 2-for-3. The Toms survived four errors and outhit Williams 7-3. "We made a lot of mistakes and made a few bad decisions," said UST coach John Tschida. "We were fortunate to get the win. Williams (College) always comes out fighting. It’s going to be tough for anyone to win this tournament. We will just play it one pitch at a time." St. Thomas took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Embree led off with a double and took third on a passed ball. Nikki Conway walked and stole second. Bye bunted home one run, and Conway scored on a throwing error. Ashley Carlblom's RBI single made it 3-0. Williams answered with a two-run homer that followed a fielding error in the top of the second inning. The Ephs tied the score with a two-out run in the fifth inning on a throwing error. UST left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning without scoring. In the sixth, with the game still tied 3-3, Lodge singled and one out later took second on a wild pitch. Pinch hitter Colleen Owen reached on an error, and Embree's single scored Lodge for a 4-3 lead. After Conway popped out, pinch runner Missy Bruggeman scored on a passed ball. Nagle pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to end the game. Earlier, Rutgers-Camden used a two-run hit in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 3-1 win over Ramapo, and Coe scored in the last of the seventh with a walk-off double to edge Ithaca, 2-1. Williams (31-9) plays Linfield at 12:30 in an elimination game. Toms storm to region crown, CWS berth Senior All-American Janet Nagle hit a two-run homer and pitched a five-hit, complete-game victory as No. 1-ranked St. Thomas scored a 6-1 victory over No. 8-ranked Wartburg in Sunday's title game at the NCAA Division III regional softball tournament in Indianola, Iowa. The Tommies (45-2) won the regional title for the fourth time in five seasons and ran their postseason win streak to 27. That includes an 18-0 NCAA playoff record where they've never trailed in any game. The Tommies will squeeze in about 48 hours for final exams after they return Sunday night. They leave Wednesday for Raleigh, N.C. and the eight-team national tournament, which starts Friday. The Tommies are looking to become the first Division III softball team to win three consecutive NCAA championships. Coach John Tschida will take a team to nationals for the fifth time in seven seasons, including his fourth UST team and the 2000 St. Mary's team he guided to the title. Nagle (22-1 season) moved to 22-0 in career postseason games as she walked just one and struck out 10. Nagle, who escaped a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning, was out out away from a shutout before Ashley Steines' seventh-inning homer for Wartburg (40-7). UST scored two first-inning runs, then added four runs in the sixth capped by home runs from Nagle and Fiona Lodge. The Tommies now have a Division III-record 69 home runs in 47 games, including 26 in their last 11 games. Nagle hit her 23rd of her career. Maria Bye and Lodge each went 2-for-3 to lead a nine-hit attack, and Mandy Evans drove in the second and third runs of the game. Senior All-American Nikki Conway was 1-for-2 with a walk and scored two runs. Conway now has 221 career runs, four off the Division III record. In four regional games, she went 7-for-14 with seven RBI, five runs and two HRs. In 18 career NCAA playoff games, Conway is hitting .480 with 23 runs, 23 RBI, seven doubles, a triple, seven home runs and nine walks. In their first meeting with Wartburg, the regional's No. 2 seed, the Tommies struck quickly. Bye's RBI single scored Conway, and Evans added an RBI single later in the first inning to make it 2-0. The Knights mounted a major threat in top of the fourth but were denied. Trailing 2-0, Ashley Rogers and Carrie Kinzenbaw had back-to-back singles to open the inning. An error on Amy Daniels' sacrifice-bunt attempt loaded the bases. But Nagle fanned Renae Vomacka, induced Deb Schlinder to foul out to first base, and ended the inning by striking out Mandy Kakac. In the sixth, Conway walked and took second on Bye's single. After Ashley Carlblom's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Evans' RBI ground out to second scored Conway and moved pinch runner Ashley Tuttle to third. Nagle homered to left to make it 5-0, then Lodge homered to straight-away center two pitches later to start the celebration. Wartburg scored an 8-6 win over No. 10-ranked Louisiana College in the noon game to stay alive. St. Thomas went 4-0 in the regional -- considered to be the deepest in the nation with five ranked teams -- with 10 home runs and a 37-5 scoring margin. Nagle and Bye allowed just three runs in 23 innings, and UST has given up just 50 runs in 47 games. Conway wasn't the only UST standout this weekend. Carlblom hit .583 (7-for-12, 5 RBI); Lodge hit .546 (6-for-11, 4 RBI); Bye hit .500 (5-for-10, three runs); Carrie Embree hit .360 (4-for-11, seven runs, five RBI) and Nagle hit .333 (4-for-12, four RBI). Saturday Senior All-American Nikki Conway drove in four runs with a homer and single and senior All-American Janet Nagle tossed a one-hit shutout as No. 1-ranked St. Thomas scored an 11-0 win in five innings over No. 10-ranked in Saturday's winners' bracket game at the NCAA Regional Softball Tournament in Indianola, Iowa. The Tommies (44-2) have won 26 consecutive postseason games, including 17 NCAA playoff games in a row. They've allowed just 48 runs in 46 games. They advance to the championship round and need one win in two games to earn their fourth College World Series berth in five seasons. Wartburg and Louisiana play at noon Sunday, and that winner must beat UST on Sunday and again on Monday to deny the Tommies. Conway hit a two-run homer out of the complex -- 260 feet -- to key a six-run second inning. Ashley Carlblom also hit a solo homer and Mandy Evans stroked a three-run HR in the fifth inning. Conway added a two-run single in the top of the fourth and freshman Kaitlyn Wightman had a two-run pinch-hit single in the second. The Toms now have a Division III-record 67 home runs in 47 games. Conway's 46 career home runs include a conference-record 15 this season. Nagle struck out eight with no walks and improved to 21-1 on the season, 80-6 on her career and 21-0 in career postseason games. She allowed a leadoff single in the first inning but retired 15 of the last 16 as one batter reached on an error. Junior Carrie Embree went 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored but had her hitting streak end at 16 games. Friday Sophomore Maria Bye drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI-squeeze bunt in the fifth inning and worked two perfect innings for the save as No. 1-ranked St. Thomas claimed a 5-2 victory over No. 21-ranked St. Scholastica in a Friday winners' bracket game at the NCAA regional softball tournament in Indianola, Iowa. UST (43-2) ran its postseason winning streak to 25 games, including a 16-0 NCAA playoff mark since 2004. St. Thomas moves on to a Saturday's 5 p.m. winners' bracket game against the No. 10-ranked Louisiana College, a 13-4 winner over host Simpson. Facing CSS senior All-American pitcher Laura Heise, the Tommies led just 3-2 until seventh-inning RBI doubles by junior Carrie Embree and senior Nikki Conway provided some cushion. Embree also walked once, scored twice and ran her hitting streak to 16 games with her 74th hit in 45 games this season. Bye's one-out RBI squeeze-bunt in the top of the fifth inning scored freshman Missy Bruggeman and broke a 2-2 tie. In the bottom of the fifth, the Saints (37-8) had the potential tying runner Sara Kneisl gunned down at home plate on a throw from Tommie sophomore CF Linh Tran. Bye got the save in relief of senior starter Janet Nagle, who improved to 20-1 on the season and 20-0 on her career in postseason play. Nagle allowed two runs, seven hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in five innings. Bye retired all six batters she faced, with one strikeout. The Tommies beat the Saints for the fifth time in six meetings in 2005 and 2006, although Friday's game was much tougher their 4-0, 9-1 sweep in early March. The Toms took a 2-0 lead on senior Ashley Carlblom's two-run double in the third inning. The Saints tied the game in the fourth with a home run and an RBI double. That was the first home run given up by a St. Thomas starting pitcher in 38 games. Fourth-seed St. Scholastica plays 1 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game vs. second-seed Wartburg. Thursday's Game Top-seed St. Thomas tied an NCAA all-division playoff record with five home runs en route to a 15-2 win over eighth-seed Concordia (Wis.) in Thursday's first-round NCAA regional softball playoff game in Indianola Iowa. The game was halted after five innings due to the eight-run rule. Louisiana State, St. Mary's (Tex.), and the College of New Jersey prevuously had five homers in an NCAA playoff game. The Tommies (42-2) now have a Division III-record 64 home runs in 44 games, including 21 in the last eight games, all since April 30. The Tommies extended their three-year postseason win streak to 24 games, including a 15-0 record in NCAA playoff games. They advance to a 5 p.m. winner's bracket game Friday vs. St. Scholastica, a 2-0 winner over Washington (Mo.). UST's 35 total bases and 18 hits were one off the Division III playoff single-game records. Carrie Embree, Nikki Conway, Fiona Lodge and Ashley Carlblom all homered and went 3-for-3. Janet Nagle went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Embree, who homered twice and ran her hitting streak to 15 games, broke a conference record for hits in a season. She now has 73 in 44 games. Conway hit a three-run homer -- the 45th of her career, which moved her into third in Division III history. She's also second in Division III career runs with 217. The first 12 Concordia batters were retired in order. The Falcons (21-22) broke up the perfect game with a solo homer in the top of the fifth, and added two more hits and a run. UST sophomore starter Maria Bye retired all nine batters she faced, eight by strikeout, and improved to 21-1 on the season with her 18th consecutive win. Freshman Kallie Samuelson retired the first three she faced in the fourth but allowed three hits and two runs in the fifth inning. Embree led off the first inning with a solo HR for a quick 1-0 lead, and the Toms scored six runs in the second and six more in the third. Toms sweep MIAC softball again Sophomore Maria Bye threw a two-hit shutout and Carrie Embree ran her hitting streak to 14 games with an RBI single as No. 1-ranked St. Thomas scored a 2-0 win over Gustavus in Saturday's MIAC softball playoff championship game in Northfield. Freshman Morgan Betker scored a run in the second inning and drove in a sixth-inning insurance run for UST (41-2), which swept the MIAC regular-season and postseason title for the third year in a row. UST is now 9-0 in the three-year history of the conference playoffs. The Toms have now won 23 consecutive postseason games and in the last 20 have never trailed. It's the Tommies' third MIAC playoff title of 2005-06 as softball joins volleyball and men's basketball with postseason crowns. In 25 games vs. MIAC teams this spring, UST had 18 shutouts and outscored foes 192-14. Bye worked out of a two-out bases-loaded scare in the fourth. She retired 10 of the last 11 GAC batters, and struck out four with two walks. Bye (20-1) won her 17th consecutive decision and improved to 12-0 vs. MIAC foes this season. Embree had a single and double and tied the St. Thomas season record of 70 hits set in 2004 by Michelle Wong. Embree is two shy of the MIAC record of 72 set by SMU's Jenny Garin in 1997. Embree has had a hit, RBI or run in 35 consecutive games and is now batting .543. The Toms loaded the bases in the first with hits by Embree and Conway but stranded all three. They finished with six hits on the game. Gustavus (31-9) had stayed alive with a 3-0 win over St. Mary's earlier Saturday. The Gusties won 31 of their last 36 games and have a chance at an NCAA at-large berth. The Toms will learn on Sunday night their assignment for next weekend's NCAA Midwest Region tournament. Good start for Toms in playoffs Nikki Conway drove in four runs with a three-run homer and an RBI double and Janet Nagle homered and had a complete-game win as St. Thomas scored a 6-2 victory over Gustavus in a Friday evening winners' bracket game in the MIAC softball playoffs at St. Olaf. The Toms (40-2) built a 6-0 lead through three innings. They knocked out GAC starter Joyce DeWitt with five runs in two innings. DeWitt, who pitched eight innings earlier in the day to beat St. Mary's 2-1, had worked all 14 innings and held the Toms to just four runs in a recent split with UST. Nagle (19-1 season, 78-6 career, 44-1 MIAC career) allowed four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. She allowed single runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Trailing 6-1, the Gusties (30-8) loaded the bases in the seventh inning but managed just one run. Nagle got a double-play grounder and a game-ending out. St. Thomas advances to a 1:30 game Saturday afternoon at St. Olaf. If the Toms lose they'll play a 4 p.m. rematch for the title. A remaining team has to beat UST twice Saturday afternoon to win the crown. Gustavus plays Saturday at 11 a.m. vs. St. Mary's, which stayed alive with a 7-0 win over St. Ben's in the evening elimination game. The Gustie-St. Mary's winner faces UST at 1:30 p.m. Conway's home run was her 44th of her career and her school-record 13th of the season. Nagle's was her 22nd. UST now has a Division III-record 59 home runs on the season, including 16 in six games over the last six days. Tommie pitchers have given up just three HRs. Conway now has 216 career runs, nine off the D-III record. Ashley Carlblom and Conway each had two hits in an eight-hit Tommie attack. Carrie Embree had a single in each game and extended her hitting streak to 13 games. Embree has a hit, RBI or run in 34 consecutive games. Embree had two steals to reach 40 on the season and her two hits give her 68 -- two off Michelle Wong's school season record and four off the MIAC season record. Nagle, now 19-0 in career postseason games, now has 656 strikeouts in 518 innings. St. Thomas 4, CSB 0 Sophomore Maria Bye struck out 11 with a two-hit shutout and Nikki Conway, Mandy Evans and Bye homered as top-seed St. Thomas scored a 4-0 a victory over fourth-seed St. Ben's in Friday's first-round MIAC softball playoff game at St. Olaf. Gustavus scored a 2-1 win over St. Mary's in their first-round game at Carleton. The Toms (39-2) will play again at St. Olaf at 5 p.m., (or later if there's extra innings in the other game) in a winner's bracket game vs. Gustavus. The Blazers (15-20) play a 5 p.m. elimination game at Carleton against St. Mary's. Bye (19-1 season, 35-5 career) won her 16th consecutive decision and beat the Blazers for the second time in six days. She pitched her 10th shutout of the season and gave St. Thomas its 17th shutout in 24 games vs. MIAC foes. Bye retired 12 in a row and had allowed one baserunner through six innings. She walked two and allowed a double to load the bases in the top of the seventh, but got a game-ending strikeout. Fiona Lodge had an RBI hit to score Evans with the game's first run in the second inning. Conway hit a massive homer in the third -- the 43rd of her career. Evans connected in the fourth for her ninth of the season. Bye hit her solo HR in the bottom of the sixth and now has eight in her last 15 games. Conway and Bye each hit their 12th homers of the year and broke UST's single-season HR record of 11 held by Conway (2003 and 2005) and Kaja Martinson (2004). Senior Janet Nagle threw a five-inning perfect game and No. 1-ranked St. Thomas won the outright MIAC softball championship with Tuesday's 9-1 and 9-0 sweep of fourth-place St. Catherine. The Tommies (38-2 overall, 21-1 MIAC) won the conference softball title for the third year in a row and sixth time in seven seasons. They outscored MIAC foes 180-11, with 16 shutouts in 22 games. UST also hit .417 in conference play with 37 home runs. St. Thomas hit five home runs on the day to shatter the NCAA Division III season record. The old mark of 51 home runs was set in April 2006 by Lynchburg (Va.), which concluded its season last week. The Tommies now have 54 homers in 40 games, including 11 in four games this week. UST senior Nikki Conway capped the day with her 42nd career homer. Conway, who went 3-for-3 in game two, also scored four runs on the day and now has 213 career runs, 12 off the Division III record. Maria Bye hit her 10th and 11th homers of the season. Bye and Conway tied the school season record as each hit their 11th. Junior Carrie Embree went 3-for-3 in game two and was 4-for-5 on the day. She raised her season average to .550 to rank second in Division III. In 22-game MIAC stats, she batted .667 (42-of-63). Nagle struck out 12 of 15 batters she faced as she improved to 43-1 on her career vs. conference foes. In game one, Bye allowed one hit and one walk while striking out eight in four shutout innings. She moved to 10-0 in the conference and won her 15th consecutive decision. St. Catherine (21-18, 12-10) tied for fourth place with St. Ben's, which was swept Tuesday at home vs. Gustavus 4-0 and 5-2. St. Kate's and St. Ben's will await Thursday's St. Olaf vs. Augsburg games to determine via the tie-breaker who will advance as the playoff fourth seed. The Wildcats need St. Olaf to sweep Augsburg to move on. 6 HRs fuel sweep of Blazers Senior All-American Janet Nagle laced a pair of three-run homers on the day and threw a two-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts in the nightcap as the No. 1-ranked Tommie softball team swept St. Ben's Sunday in the Rosemount Dome. St. Thomas won 10-1 in five innings and 5-0. UST (36-2 overall, 19-1 MIAC) secured a tie for the conference championship with the sweep -- its third in a row and sixth in seven seasons. The Toms can win the championship outright with one win in their Monday doubleheader at home vs. St. Catherine. The Toms, who had 22 hits while batting in just 10 innings on the day, have outscored conference foes 162-10 with 15 shutouts in 20 games. The Blazers (15-17, 12-8) were held to five hits and one run on the day as they remained deadlocked in the race with St. Catherine for the fourth and final MIAC playoff spot with two games to play. They must face second-place Gustavus Monday. St. Thomas hit five home runs (in four innings) in game one to set a school record -- and possibly set or tie an MIAC single-game record. Coach John Tschida's team now has 49 homers in 40 games and needs four to tie the Division III single-season record. Nagle, who went 4-for-6 on the day with six RBI, now has 21 career home runs to move into third in MIAC history behind teammate Nikki Conway (41) and St. Mary's Jill Hocking (26). Her three-run homer in the third inning of game two put UST ahead 5-0. Nagle's 15 strikeouts were one off her career high, and she moved to 76-6 on her career. She fanned seven consecutive batters in one stretch. In game one, Maria Bye struck out eight and won her 14th decision in a row to move to 17-1 on the season. She allowed one run, three hits and three walks. Conway -- who moved past 100 career extra-base hits on the day -- homered and doubled twice and went 4-for-6 on the day with a walk. She was robbed of a single by Patty Devoy's diving stop at second base. Conway has played in 175 career games and is batting .393, with 207 hits, 209 runs, 136 RBI, 41 HRs, 55 doubles, six triples, 83 walks, 13 hit-by-pitch and 60 steals. Conway holds MIAC career records for HRs, runs, extra-base hits, and walks. Senior Ashley Carlblom homered in her first two trips of the day and added an RBI single to go 3-for-3 on game one. She finished 4-for-5 on the day. In 20 April games she helped the Toms go 19-1 as she batted .440 on the month (22-of-40). Carrie Embree was 4-for-7 on the day and extended her hitting streak to nine games. In 20 April games she helped the Toms go 19-1 as she batted .666 on the month (36-of-58). The Blazers scored its run in game one on back-to-back doubles by Nicki Holmes and Jinnie Regli. Tommies split two close games St. Thomas and Gustavus split two one-run softball games Wednesday in MIAC play in St. Peter. The Toms rallied to win 2-1 in game one, and the Gusties scored in the bottom of the seventh to snap a 2-2 tie and win 3-2 in game two. The No. 1-ranked Tommies (34-2 overall, 17-1 MIAC) had their Division III win streak end at 49 and their MIAC win streak end at 28 with the game-two loss. Gustavus (23-7, 17-3) has won 23 of its last 26 after an 0-4 start. UST still holds a two-game lead over Gustavus and St. Mary's (both 17-3) with four games to go. Tommie senior Janet Nagle had her Division III record win streak halted at 35 decisions. She lost her first MIAC decision of her career (41-1). She allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings. Gustavus' Joyce DeWitz pitched both games and held the Toms to four runs over 14 innings. Maria Bye drove in a run in each game and Carrie Embree had four hits on the day. A one-out, bases-loaded grounder scored the Gusties' winning run in the seventh inning. Nagle allowed a leadoff single in the seventh and was replaced by Bye. A wild pitch put the winning run at second. A walk and a double steal puyt runners at second and third. An intentional walk loaded the bases with none out. After a strikeout, the Gusties got a grounder and beat the relay throw home. In game one, Bye allowed two hits, one run and two walks with six strikeouts to get the victory in game one. Bye's RBI squeeze bunt drove in the tying run in the sixth inning. That scored Nikki Conway, who walked, stole second and was bunted to third. The Toms used an error, a single and a fielder's choice to score the go-ahead run. Gustavus had the bases loaded with none out in the fourth inning and took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly. But Bye got two strikeouts to end the threat with two runners in scoring position. She retired 10 of the last 11, as one reached on an error but was thrown out trying to steal. In game two, Embree went 3-for-3 to lead the Toms' nine-hit attack. UST left the bases loaded in the first inning and left eight on base on the game. The Toms trailed 2-1 in the seventh but got the tying run on Conway's RBI double -- her 99th career extra-base hit. St. Thomas plays two home doubleheaders this weekend vs. playoff contenders -- Saturday vs. St. Catherine and Sunday vs. St. Benedict. The Toms can win their sixth MIAC team title in seven years with three wins this weekend, and tie for the crown with two wins. Bye's arm, bat fuels Tommies Sophomore Maria Bye was a batting star and pitching star Monday in the Tommies' home non-conference doubleheader sweep of Concordia-St. Paul. Bye's three-run homer in the fifth inning of game one broke a 1-1 tie in a 4-2 victory. Her grand slam in the fourth inning of game two erased a 3-2 deficit in a 9-4 victory. She added an RBI sacrifice bunt to add an insurance run and on the day extended her hitting streak to 11 games. She now has slugged four home runs in her last five games. Bye also pitched a complete-game victory in the opener and allowed one earned run, five hits, one walk and six strikeouts to move to 15-1 on the season. The Tommies (33-1), ranked first in Division III, ran their winning streak to 26 games with the two comeback victories. Concordia (33-13), which placed seventh nationally in Division II last season, had a 10-game winning streak halted. Senior Nikki Conway was 1-for-3 and walked four times on the day and broke the St. Thomas career record for walks with 76. The Tommies now have 43 home runs in 34 games -- 10 off the Division III season record. In the opener, the Bears staked senior All-American pitcher Kristen Schmidt to a 1-0 lead on a first-inning walk, a bunt single, a fielder's choice and an RBI ground out. The Toms minimized the damage as CF Kristina Trapp threw a runner out at home as Conway blocked the plate and applied the tag to end the inning just 1-0. Schmidt no-hit the Toms through 4 2-3 innings. With two out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Missy Bruggeman's infield hit and a walk to Conway put runners at first and second. Carrie Embree tied the game with a single to right field. Bye homered to left to put the Toms ahead 4-1. CSP used a dropped fly ball to pull within 4-2 in the seventh inning, but Bye ended the game with two strikeouts and stranded a runner at second base. The first five runs of game two were all scored on catcher's throwing errors -- UST scored two runs in the first inning, but the Bears answered with three in the second inning. The Toms trailed 3-2 in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out on a double by Ashley Carlblom, a pinch-hit single by Kaitlyn Wightman, and a walk to Conway. With two outs, Bye came up and homered to deep center for a 6-3 lead. Mandy Evans and Carlblom each had two hits in game two. Senior All-American Janet Nagle allowed one earned run, 10 hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in the complete-game win. She improved to 75-5 on her career. In the top of the fifth, she worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts and allowed just one run. Nikki Smith and Vanessa DuFresne each went 3-for-7 on the day to lead the Bears. School HR record falls in sweep The No. 1-ranked St. Thomas softball team (29-1 overall, 14-0 MIAC) showed little effects from a 10-day layoff in Saturday's home conference sweep of Macalester. The Tommies homered three times and won 8-0 and 10-0, both in five innings. St. Thomas has won 22 in a row this season, 46 in a row vs. Division III foes, and 25 in a row vs. MIAC opposition. Senior pitcher Janet Nagle combined on a five-inning one-hitter in game two. She broke her own NCAA Division III record with her 33rd consecutive victory and improved to 74-5 on her career. Nagle struck out seven and walked one. Sophomore pitcher Maria Bye allowed one hit and no walks and struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced in game one. Senior catcher Nikki Conway hit her 40th career home run in the opener and reached base in four of six trips on the day. She became the seventh MIAC player to reach 200 hits on her career. Bye homered in game two and sophomore Fiona Lodge had a walk-off homer to close game one as UST now has 38 home runs in 30 games. Bye and freshman Colleen Owen each had three hits on the day. The Scots (3-27, 1-17) had two singles on the day -- Katie Ziegler's fourth-inning single in game one, and Katie Grudnowski's first-inning leadoff single in game two. But both runners were promptly picked off first base by Conway. Conway reaches 200 hits in sweep The No. 1-ranked St. Thomas softball team (29-1 overall, 14-0 MIAC) showed little effects from a 10-day layoff in Saturday's home conference sweep of Macalester. The Tommies homered three times and won 8-0 and 10-0, both in five innings. St. Thomas has won 22 in a row this season, 46 in a row vs. Division III foes, and 25 in a row vs. MIAC opposition. Senior pitcher Janet Nagle combined on a five-inning one-hitter in game two. She broke her own NCAA Division III record with her 33rd consecutive victory and improved to 74-5 on her career. Nagle struck out seven and walked one. Sophomore pitcher Maria Bye allowed one hit and no walks and struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced in game one. Senior catcher Nikki Conway hit her 40th career home run in the opener and reached base in four of six trips on the day. She became the seventh MIAC player to reach 200 hits on her career. Bye homered in game two and sophomore Fiona Lodge had a walk-off homer to close game one as UST now has 38 home runs in 30 games. Bye and freshman Colleen Owen each had three hits on the day. The Scots (3-27, 1-17) had two singles on the day -- Katie Ziegler's fourth-inning single in game one, and Katie Grudnowski's first-inning leadoff single in game two. But both runners were promptly picked off first base by Conway. Tommies sweep, extend win string Junior Carrie Embree went 5-for-7 on the day with four runs, four stolen bases and three RBI to lead the No. 1-ranked Tommies (25-1 overall, 10-0 MIAC) to a 3-1, 9-4 sweep of visiting St. Mary's in MIAC softball play in St. Paul. Senior All-Americans Nikki Conway and Janet Nagle homered in game two to lead a 12-hit St. Thomas attack. St. Thomas now has hit 29 home runs in 26 games. Maria Bye and Fiona Lodge had two-out RBI singles in game two. Conway slugged her 37th career home -- a monster shot to left field -- and reached base five times on the day (3-for-5, four runs, two walks, three steals). Conway's 37 homers and 190 runs scored rank her eighth all-time in Division II in both categories. Nagle hit her 18th career homer and Bye added three hits on the day. The Tommies have won 42 consecutive games vs. Division III opponents and 21 straight vs. conference foes. UST also extended its season win streak to 18. Its 25-1 start is the best in school history. St. Thomas had a streak of shutouts end at 10 and scoreless innings end at 60 as the Cardinals scored in the sixth inning of the opener on a walk and three wild pitches. MIAC foes are batting just .113 in 10 games off St. Thomas pitchers. Bye (12-1) got the complete-game win in the opener as she allowed one run, two hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts. Nagle (13-0) won her 31st consecutive decision on the nightcap and moved to 39-0 on her career vs. MIAC opposition despite allowing seven hits and three earned runs. She struck out eight and walked two. Nagle was aided by a sparking defensive play in the second inning. With UST leading 3-0 and two out, Missy Bruggeman made a diving catch of a hit into right-center field to save two and possibly three runs. Jenny Schipp allowed one earned run, no walks and six hits in six innings of game one. The Toms scored what proved to be the winning runs in the third inning on a two-out error in center field on Mandy Evans' liner. Embree, who led off that threat with a one-out double, moved her season average to .513. Schipp, Cassie Otte and Nikki Jung had two hits on the day for the Cardinals. Toms run shutout streak to 10 Senior All-American Janet Nagle pitched her second five-inning no-hitter on the week as the top-ranked St. Thomas softball team scored a pair of 8-0 wins over visiting Carleton in MIAC play Friday on the Tommies' diamond. Both games were halted after five innings. The Toms (23-1 overall, 8-0 MIAC) have won 16 consecutive games and 55 of their last 57, and have captured 40 in a row vs. Division III competition dating back to April 2005. UST has posted 10 consecutive shutout wins and hasn't allowed a run in 56 innings. They've outscored eight MIAC foes 70-0. Nagle walked two and struck out six in the game-two victory. Maria Bye allowed one hit and three walks over four innings with five strikeouts in game one. In eight MIAC game thus far, opponents are batting just .089 off four St. Thomas pitchers. St. Thomas had 17 hits and 12 stolen bases on the day in a total of eight innings on offense. In game two, Carrie Embree went 3-for-3 with three RBI and Mandy Evans had a two-run homer, her seventh of the season. In the opener, eight different UST players had at least one hit and 10 Tommies reached base. Carleton (5-13, 1-5) had one hit on the day in 10 innings -- Jamie Lykken doubled into the right-field corner to leadoff the third inning of game one. Carleton had five runners thrown out on the bases on the day -- one picked off and four caught stealing. Shutout streak to eight games Mandy Evans homered twice to lead the top-ranked St. Thomas softball team to a pair of 10-0 victories over host Bethel in MIAC play Tuesday in Arden Hills. Each game was halted after five innings. The Tommies (21-1 overall, 6-0 MIAC) have now recorded eight consecutive shutouts and haven't allowed a run in 46 innings. Janet Nagle (four innings, nine strikeouts) and Kallie Samuelson (one inning, three strikeouts) combined on a five-inning no hitter in game two. Maria Bye and Carrie Embree combined on a five-inning one-hitter in the opener. Bye extended her scoreless string to 26 innings. Nagle won her 29th consecutive decision. In six conference games, opponents are batting .102 off UST pitchers. Eleven different Toms had at least one hit in game two led by Nikki Conway and Ashley Carlblom with two each. In game one, nine different Toms had one or more hits. Embree had a triple and a single and Missy Bruggeman had two singles. UST has won 53 of its last 55 games, including 38 in a row vs. Division III opponents. The Toms also have won 46 consecutive MIAC road games. Toms' shutoout streak to 36 innings The top-ranked St. Thomas softball team posted its sixth consecutive shutout win with Saturday's 11-0 and 8-0 victories over Hamline. Both games went five innings. The Toms have not allowed a run in their last 36 innings. The Tommies (19-1 overall, 4-0 MIAC) hit three home runs on the day and now have 24 in 20 games. John Tschida coached his 500th collegiate game over 12 seasons and improved his career record to 420-80. UST extended its winning sttreak vs. Division III opponents to 36. The Pipers (6-6, 0-4) were limited to four hits on the day. Sophomore Maria Bye threw four shutout innings and allowed two hits and one walk while striking out 10 in game one. Ten different UST players had at least one hit. Carrie Embree hit a three-run homer and a single, and Ashley Carlblom hit a two-run homer. Rachael Young, Holly Wiborg and Katie Prasek hit singles for the Pipers. In game two, Janet Nagle pitched three hitless innings. She walked one and struck out five. Kallie Samuelson pitched the last two innings. Bye had a solo homer. Nikki Conway and Carlblom each had two-run simgles. Embree tripled and came around to score on a throwing error. Carlblom and Fiona Lodge each had two hits to pace an eight-hit attack. Sara Mickelson had a leadoff single in the fourth for the Pipers. Toms start MIAC with sweep Senior Nikki Conway hit her 35th and 36th career home runs and went 4-for-6 on the day to lead top-ranked St. Thomas (17-1 overall, 2-0 MIAC) to a pair of shutout wins over visiting Augsburg (5-11, 0-2) in MIAC softball play Wednesday in St. Paul. The Toms won 7-0 and 8-0, the latter game in five innings. Five different players homered for UST off two different Auggie starters. The Tommies now have 21 home runs in 18 games from eight different players. Conway, Carrie Embree and Maria Bye all hit solo homers in game one. Conway, Ashley Carlblom and Fiona Lodge homered in game two. UST is now 30-0 vs. Division III teams when Conway has homered during her career. Bye pitched six shutout innings in game one as she struck out 11 and allowed three hits and three walks. Senior Janet Nagle retired nine of the 10 batters she faced in game two with four strikeouts and no walks. Freshman Kallie Samuelson pitched the other three innings on the day. Conway and Bye each went 2-for-2 to lead a 12-hit attack in game two. In game one, Embree went 3-for-3 and Conway, Mandy Evans and Colleen Owen each had two hits to lead an 11-hit attack. Jolene Ross had two of Augsburg's six hits on the day. Toms close 9-1 in Florida The top-ranked St. Thomas softball team finished 9-1 on its California trip with two Thursday shutout victories. The Toms beat No. 8-ranked Williams (Mass.) 8-0 in six innings, and topped Whitworth (Wash.) 4-0. St. Thomas ran its win streak vs. Division III opponents to 32. The 9-1 mark is UST's best spring-break showing to date. The Toms are now a combined 60-17 in their last seven spring trips. Senior Janet Nagle won her 26th consecutive pitching decision with a two-hit shutout over Whitworth to move to 66-5 on her career. The lefty All-American struck out 16 with no walks. Nagle and senior Mandy Evans had back-to-back RBI doubles in the second inning. Evans finished with two doubles on the game. Earlier in the day, sophomore Maria Bye tossed a one-hit shutout in the win over Williams. She walked two and struck out eight and retired 14 of the last 15 batters she faced. Bye also went 3-for-4 at the plate. Senior Nikki Conway drove in three runs, including a two-run single in the second inning. In 10 California games, UST pitchers struck out 77 and walked just 13 and foes hit just .177. Nagle batted .423 and shared the team RBI high with Evans at nine. Junior Carrie Embree had a team-best 13 hits. Perfect game for Toms The No. 1-ranked St. Thomas softball team won two more games Wednesday in the Sun West Tournament in Orange, Calif. UST (13-1) ran their winning streak vs. Division III foes to 30. Maria Bye and Carrie Embree combined on a five-inning perfect game as the Tommies scored an 8-0 win over Wesleyan (4-8). Bye struck out seven of the 12 batters she pitched to, and Embree fanned two of the three she faced. Nikki Conway, Missy Bruggeman and Ashley Carlblom each had two hits. In the second game of the day, UST scored a 6-3 victory over Division II Cal State East Bay (15-6). Janet Nagle's three-run homer -- the 17th of her career -- capped a five-run fourth-inning, and the senior pitched the complete game victory. Nagle struck out six and scattered 10 hits and two walks while allowing two earned runs. Nagle and Embree each went 3-for-4 at the plate, and Mandy Evans had two hits and two RBI. Bye added an RBI double. Tommies topple Tufts No. 1-ranked St. Thomas scored two Monday softball wins in the Sun West Tournament in Orange, Calif., and ran its win streak vs. Division III opponents to 29 games. The Tommies topped No. 8-ranked Williams (Mass.), 7-1, and beat Tufts (Mass.), 5-1. Coach John Tschida's Tommies improved to 11-1 on the season, including seven wins vs. nationally-ranked teams. Janet Nagle pitched five shutout innings vs. Williams as she allowed two hits and one walk with four strikeouts. Kallie Samuleson pitched the last two innings and surrendured an unearned run in the seventh. Carrie Embree went 2-for-4 to lead a seven-hit UST attack. Maria Bye had an RBI double; Steph Moores drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly; and Mandy Evans drove in two runs. In the win over Tufts, Bye struck out 10 and allowed no earned runs, two hits and no walks. Embree led UST's nine-hit attack with two hits and scored twice; Evans homered and singled to drive in two; Nagle ripped a two-run homer in the first inning; and Fiona Lodge also had two hits. The Toms now have hit 14 home runs in 12 games, with seven different players with at least one. Toms get 2-0 shutout victory The top-ranked St. Thomas softball team scored two wins at Sunday's Sun West Tournament to move to 9-1 on the season. The Tommies blanked Amherst 2-0 on a combined three-hit shutout, then outslugged No. 3-ranked Chapman 7-5. In the win over Chapman (19-6), senior Janet Nagle hit a three-run homer in the first inning and pitched the complete-game victory. Nagle allowed eight hits and two walks but retired 12 of the last 14 batters. Senior Ashley Carlblom hit a solo homer in the second inning and drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-out single in the fifth inning. Sophomore Maria Bye singled in a run in the second inning. Bye, Nagle, Carlblom and junior Carrie Embree each had two hits to lead a nine-hit attack. Senior Mandy Evans homered vs. Amherst in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Bye allowed just one hit and one walk in 4 1-3 innings and was replaced by freshman Kallie Samuelson. Nagle came on to pitch in the sixth with runners at first and second with none out. A bunt single loaded the bases, but Nagle got a 5-2-3 double play and a strikeout to preserve the 2-0 lead. Nagle pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for the final margin. Evans and Embree each had two hits to lead an eight-hit attack. UST left the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings and had nine left on the game. The Tommies are schedule to play Tufts and No. 8-ranked Williams Monday. Both of those teams went 1-1 on Sunday. UST now has received 12 home runs from seven different players thus far in 10 games this season. Home runs save Tommies The No. 1-ranked St. Thomas softball team (7-1) split two games on day one of its 10-game spring-break trip to Orange, Calif., for the Sun West Tournament. The Toms edged No. 9-ranked Rutgers-Camden 4-3, but lost 3-0 to NAIA power Point Loma and had its winning streak end at 25. Sophomore Fiona Lodge hit her first college home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie vs. Rutgers. Nikki Conway homered in the first inning, Mandy Evans homered in the second inning, and Maria Bye had an RBI single in the third inning. Janet Nagle allowed one earned run and one walk with 10 strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings. Bye got the last two outs with the tying runner at second. Point Loma, playing its 30th game of the season, got all of its runs on a two-out, three run homer in the third inning by Ruth Atkins. Conway had two doubles in a five-hit attack. Bye allowed three runs, three walks and five hits in the complete-game loss. Toms finish weekend unbeaten Sophomore pitcher Maria Bye threw a one-hit shutout and hit a solo home run to help the No. 1-ranked St. Thomas softball team (6-0) in Sunday's 4-0 and 9-4 doubleheader sweep of Buena Vista (Iowa) (2-4). Coach John Tschida's team has won 24 consecutive games and 37 of their last 38 dating back to last season. The Tommies capped a 6-0 weekend in the Rosemount Dome, where they posted 36 runs and hit six homers among their 57 hits. They swept doubleheaders vs. nationally-ranked St. Scholastica and UW-Eau Claire earlier in the weekend. UST had 21 hits Sunday. In game one, Bye struck out 10 with no walks and retired the last 14 batters she faced. The lone BVU hit was Amanda Armstrong's first-inning single. The Toms used five consecutive singles in the second inning to score three runs. Kaitlyn Wightman, Colleen Owen and Missy Bruggeman singled to load the bases. Nikki Conway followed with an RBI single, and Carrie Embree drove in two more with a single. Bye added a solo homer in the seventh inning. In game two, UST rallied from a 2-0 deficit with nine runs on nine hits in the first two innings. Owen hit a solo homer and Janet Nagle had a two-run double and an RBI single. Nagle pitched three innings and allowed one earned run, two hits one walk and struck out eight. She surpassed 500 career strikeouts. Freshman Kallie Samuelson retired her first nine batters in relief before allowing two runs in the seventh inning. UST used 26 players in game two. Nagle, Owen and Fiona Lodge all went 2-for-2 to lead an 11-hit attack. Monica Tucker had a two-run single in the seventh inning for the Beavers. On the weekend, St. Thomas was led offensively by Embree (9-for-19), Mandy Evans (7-for-17), Lodge (7-for-16), Conway (6-for-17, 2 HRs), Nagle (6-for-17), Bye (5-for-14, 2 HRs) and Owen (5-for-12). Nagle went 3-0 with a save and in 18 innings had 35 strikeouts with three walks and an 1.17 ERA. Bye went 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA with 22 strikeouts and two walks. Toms hold on for sweep No. 1-ranked St. Thomas (4-0) pounded 20 hits on the day and got a win and a save from senior All-American pitcher Janet Nagle to hold off No. 16-ranked UW-Eau Claire, 3-2 and 5-3, in non-conference softball play Saturday evening at the Rosemount Dome. Nagle allowed two runs, five hits and no walks with 13 strikeouts in the opener. The Tommies used senior Nikki Conway's two-run, line drive homer in the third inning -- the 33rd on her career -- to take a 2-0 lead. Senior Mandy Evans doubled and scored on two ground outs in the fourth inning to make it 3-0. The Blugolds cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning as soph Casey Leisgang doubled and junior pitcher Mallory McKinney homered to right center. But Nagle retired the last six batters, four with strikeouts. McKinney worked six innings and allowed three runs, six hits and two walks with six strikeouts. In game two, UST rapped 14 hits and got six solid innings from sophomore pitcher Maria Bye, who worked out of jams in the fifth and sixth innings. Bye allowed three runs and seven hits but had no walks and struck out eight. After Carrie Embree stroked an RBI single to make it 3-2, Bye helped her cause with a two-run homer in the third inning. Embree, Bye, Fiona Lodge and Colleen Owen all had two hits for UST, and Nagle and Conway each went 1-for-3. Eau Claire stranded 11 runners, including six in the last three innings. Nagle pitched the seventh inning and allowed two infield hits but got a game-ending strikeout. Embree's diving stop up the middle got a key force out at second base. Freshman pitcher Bri Sturm allowed no runs and five hits in five innings of relief. Junior Shannon Barone went 3-for-4 and Leisgang and McKinney each had two hits for Eau Claire (33-11 last season). Leisgang's first-inning solo homer cut the deficit to 2-1. Tom start season with two wins Senior Janet Nagle threw a one-hit shutout and broke the St. Thomas career strikeout record in the No. 1-ranked Tommies' 4-0 and 9-1 doubleheader sweep of No. 23-rated St. Scholastica (2-2) Friday night at the Rosemount Dome. Game two lasted just six innings. Nagle fanned 13, walked two and allowed a bunt single in the third inning as she improved to 60-5 on her career. She now has 482 strikeouts. The Tommies (2-0) broke open game one with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, keyed by Nagle's two-run single. Sophomore Maria Bye worked five innings in game two and allowed one run and four hits to get the victory. Senior Nikki Conway led off the game with her 32nd career home run and later had an RBI single. Senior Mandy Evans drove in two runs with a solo homer and an RBI single. Junior Carrie Embree went 3-for-4 with one RBI. |
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ST. THOMAS TOMMIES |
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