University of St. Thomas Athletics
Gustavus Adolphus
Softball makes it 6-for-6 in MIAC playoff titles
5/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Junior Marta Radcliffe allowed just two hits in a complete-game win as No. 13-ranked St. Thomas (39-4) topped No. 18-ranked Gustavus (35-7), 4-3, to win the MIAC softball tournament in Winona.
Radcliffe beat the top-seeded Gusties for the second day in a row. In 16 innings on the tourney, she fanned 10 and allowed four runs, six hits, and three walks.She allowed one hit on Saturday through six innings but the Gusties pulled within one run on leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. But Radcliffe retired the next three batters to secure the victory.
Junior All-American Alison Wright homered and went 3-for-4 to lead the Tommies' 10-hit attack, and Missy Bruggeman had a hit and finished 6-for-10 on the weekend.
St. Thomas, which improved to 18-0 all-time in the MIAC softball tournament, secured the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs for the sixth year in a row. The Toms, who are making their 13th NCAA appearance in the last 14 seasons, will learn their NCAA playoff assignment on Monday morning.
Coach John Tschida's team is now 23-2 against MIAC competition this season and 73-2 over the last three seasons.
In UST's current eight-game winning streak, Wright is batting .655 (19-of-29) with 19 RBI and 14 runs. She went 6-for-10 with two HRs and five RBI in the weekend 3-0 playoff run lift her average to .525. Her 23 career home runs rank sixth on the all-time conference list, and her 74 season hits are now just six shy of the MIAC record of 80 set in 2006 by Carrie Embree.
MORE
Friday wrap-up
Steph Moores had two hits and two RBI and Marta Radcliffe threw a three-hitter to lead No. 13-ranked St. Thomas to a 4-1 win over No. 19-ranked Gustavus in Friday's winners' bracket game at the MIAC softball tournament in Winona.
UST (38-4) scored two runs in the top of the first inning and never trailed as they outhit the Gusties 7-3. Missy Bruggeman had five hits on the day and Alison Wright had three and hit another ball that was caught at the fence. Six different Tommies had home runs on the day.
After the Gusties (34-6) pulled within 2-1 in the fourth inning, Moores homered to center field in the fifth. UST scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
The winner of Saturday's 11 a.m. game between Hamline and Gustavus game will have to beat St. Thomas twice to win the playoff title.
UST improved to 17-0 all-time in this tournament, including a 12-0 record on Friday. The winner gets the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs, with the runner-up needing to get an at-large berth.
Click here for box score:
http://www.saintmaryssports.com/custompages/softball/2009/miac/miac-g3.htm
Click here for photos:
http://www.saintmaryssports.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=330
Game 1 -- UST 7, Hamline 4
St. Thomas hit five home runs and posted a 7-4 win over Hamline in Friday's first-round game at the MIAC softball playoffs in Winona.
Morgan Betker had a two-run homer; Alison Wright has an RBI single and a solo HR; and Colleen Owen, Sydeney Marquardt and Kaitlyn Wightman had solo HRs. Freshman Christy Gries allowed five hits and three runs in five innings to move to 8-0 on nthe season.
Top-seed Gustavus beat Bethel 5-1 in the other first-round game.
Click here for box score:
http://www.saintmaryssports.com/custompages/softball/2009/miac/miac-g2.htm
