University of St. Thomas Athletics
43-7
Emory
46-6
Softball rally falls short in opening loss to Emory
5/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
No. 12-ranked Tommie Softball had two runners tagged out at home plate in the final two innings and lost 3-2 to No. 9-ranked Emory (Ga.) Thursday in its opening game of the eight-team, double-elimination national tournament in Salem, Va.
St. Thomas (43-7) dropped to the losers' bracket and will face St. John Fisher (38-12) of Rochester, N.Y., Friday at 10 a.m. Minnesota time in an elimination game. SJF lost 2-0 to Texas-Tyler.
UST, which trailed 3-0 through five innings, managed single runs in the sixth and seventh. The Tommies had rallies end or diminished in the those frames, however, after hits and subsequent runners tagged out at home plate.
Staked to a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Emory All-America pitcher Brittany File retired 11 of the first 12 UST batters, including eight by strikeout.
St. Thomas fell behind 3-0 on a two-out, two-run home run by Ashley Powers on a 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning, but came alive with four hits while working four walks over the last 3 1-3 innings.
Emory made several top defensive plays that helped win the game. The Eagles made an inning-ending over-the-shoulder catch off the bat of Katie Jo Delisle in the fourth inning in left field to save a run; caught a sharp liner at first base off the bat of Morgan Murphy in the fifth; and made a relay throw to home plate in the sixth inning for an inning-ending tag out.
The Toms also had a run-saving catch by shortstop Rachel Suter on a dive into left field to close the fifth inning.
Rally Time
UST pulled within 3-2 on Dana Connelly's two-out RBI double in the sixth inning, but Anderson-Glass was tagged out at home to end the inning while trying to score from first base.
St. Thomas loaded the bases with none out in the seventh on two walks and a fielder's choice, as Emory was unsuccessful in getting the lead runner out at third base on a sac bunt. Chase Shortly's bloop single to right made it 3-2, and Shortly got in a rundown between first and second. The UST lead runner broke for home during the rundown and was tagged out on a nice play by Emory catcher Melody Carter, who made a swipe tag to erase UST's Micaela Trainor.
The Tommies still had the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third base, but had a strikeout and pop out end the game.
Freshman Kierstin Anderson-Glass worked 5 1-3 innings and allowed five hits, three runs and no walks as she struck out four. Anderson-Glass (30-5) has not issued a walk of the last 155 batters she's faced. She pulled within five strikeouts of tying a school single-season record.
Delisle played three defensive positions. She came in to pitch and got the final two outs in the sixth inning. She started and played most of the game at first base, but also played one inning in center field along with her pitching role.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brittany File (36-4)
L: Anderson-Glass, Kierstin (30-5)
Batting:
2B: Connelly, Dana 1
RBI: Connelly, Dana 1 ; Shortly, Chase 1
SH: Murphy, Morgan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barry, Melissa 1 ; Eppenberger, Jessica 1
CS: McGonigal, Kristin 1
Batting:
2B: Janelle Turnquest 1
HR: Ashley Powers 1
RBI: Ashley Powers 2 ; Amy Wray 1
SH: Taylor Forte 1 ; Ashley Powers 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Raygan Greer 1 ; Cassie Baca 1 ; Ashley Powers 1
SB: Raygan Greer 1 ; Jenna Wilson 1 ; Sam Vincent 1
