 Billikens Advance to A-10 Softball Championship with 4-2 Win over Fordham
May 11, 2007 AMHERST, Mass. - Saint Louis made a believer out of many by coming from behind to score four runs in the sixth inning to earn a 4-2 win over Fordham to advance to the Atlantic 10 Softball Championship title game in their first-ever tournament appearance. The Billikens (29-32), who lost to the Rams 10-2 in five innings just one day earlier, will now take on host Massachusetts at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday. If SLU wins, it will be forced to play a second game against the Minutewomen due to it being a double-elimination tournament. Stacy Gillette saw her first action of the tournament by earning the starting nod in the circle. The rookie went pitch for pitch with Fordham senior starter Sara Kinney until the Rams broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth. Fordham (39-20) was the first team to put together a legitimate threat after three and a half scoreless innings. Allison Twarowski singled up the middle to start the rally in the bottom of the fourth. She moved to second on a wild pitch by Gillette just before Allison Storc joined her on the base paths by drawing a walk. A Megan Waldron sacrifice bunt allowed both Rams to get into scoring position. Mary Beth Puccio then hit the ball solidly right at SLU's Rachel O'Connell pulled in at third base. The Billikens were able to catch Twarowski in a run down between third and home getting her out as O'Connell threw the ball to catcher Nicki Jost who threw the ball back to shortstop Brittany Schmidt at third for the successful tag. Saint Louis attempted to rally the following inning as Shana Richard drove a leadoff single to left center. After Fordham starting pitcher Sara Kinney struck out the next Billiken, Allison Appenfeller joined pinch runner Jess Burns on the bases as she singled to shortstop. Following another Kinney strikeout, pinch hitter Kinsley Kelley drew a two-out walk to fill the bases. But Kinney put an end to the Billiken scoring threat by getting the next batter on strikes to hold onto the 1-0 lead.
With one out in the fifth, the Rams took a two-run lead. Krystle Henry singled to second base and went to second on a Billiken throwing error. A Melissa Andrews single to first base put runners on the corners and Twarowski's double to centerfield made it 2-0 before Saint Louis put together a big rally in the sixth. Kinney put SLU's Rachel Heet on first to start the sixth by hitting her in the helmet with a pitch. Jost followed with a double to right center before Christy Ernst walked to load the bases. Richard then came up with the hit the Billikens needed to break into the scoring column as she sliced a two-run single up the middle to tie the game. But SLU wasn't done yet as Appenfeller added a double to deep centerfield one out later to bring in Ernst and Richard for the 4-2 advantage game. Appenfeller's hit gave the Bills their first lead and knocked Kinney out of the game in favor of Rachael Wiggins, who escaped the inning by tossing a strikeout and inducing a pop out. In the bottom of the seventh, the Rams made a last-ditch effort as Andrews hit a bloop single to centerfield and following a wild pitch Twarowski singled off Gillette's glove to put a pair on for Fordham. SLU head coach John Conway then called upon Ashley Levan to help out Gillette in relief. Jill Pursell came to Levan's aid by making a running catch in foul territory down the left field line for the second out and Levan sat the next batter down on strikes to earn the save. Richard and Appenfeller led the SLU offense with two hits and two RBI apiece, while Twarowski went 4-for-4 to lead the Rams. Gillette (4-4) struck out two, walked one and scattered 10 hits en route to the victory. Kinney (14-11) shouldered the loss, fanning six, walking two and surrendering seven hits. |
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