University of St. Thomas Athletics
Hamline
Softball wins 1-0, takes MIAC Playoff crown again
5/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Senior Maria Bye threw a four-hit shutout and ran her scoreless streak to 40 innings and sophomore Alison Wright had a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to lift No. 3-ranked St. Thomas (40-3) past Hamline (26-14) in Sunday's MIAC softball playoff championship in Shoreview.
The Tommies are now 15-0 all-time in conference playoff softball games and capped their second consecutive 25-0 run vs. conference teams. They ran their MIAC win streak to 57 and claimed the automatic berth into the Division III tournament. It's the Tommies' 11th NCAA playoff berth in 12 seasons.
Bye, who didn't walk a batter, improved to 44-1 on her career in conference decisions. After allowing two first-inning singles and a second-inning double, Bye retired 15 Pipers in a row before a one-out single in the seventh.
UST outhit the Pipers 8-4 but left six on base over the first six innings of a scoreless game. In the fifth with two out Kaitlyn Wightman singled but was tagged out at home trying to score on Wright's double.
In the Tommie seventh, a one-out walk to Kallie Samuelson and Missy Bruggeman's single put the winning run in scoring position. After a pop out, Wright ended the game with a single. Wright led all tournament players with five hits on the weekend.
The Tommies will learn their NCAA regional assignment on Monday.
Samuelson was named MVP of the tournament after she went 3-for-6, with two walks, five RBI, three runs. She hit a three-run home run against Hamline on Saturday and scored the game's lone run on Sunday. She added 13 put outs at first base for the Tommies.
Also on the 13-player All-Tournament Team were Bye, Bruggeman, Wright, Marta Radcliffe and Morgan Betker.
Click here for box score: http://www.miac-online.org/sports/softball/softball2008/huust4.htm
Click here for tournament stats: http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/softball/miac08/CONFSTAT.HTM
