LATROBE, Pa. – Amanda Callahan (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch) threw a complete game four-hit shutout and drove in the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead the second-seeded Tomcats to a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Westminster College Friday morning in the elimination round of the 2012 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Softball Championship Tournament, which is being hosted by Saint Vincent College.

Callahan improved to 10-8 on the season with the win, while the RBI was her 14th of the season.
Molly Jo Everett (Medina, Ohio/Highland) initiated the all-important fifth inning for Thiel (20-19) with a leadoff single down the right field line. Sarah Szczypinski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carlynton) was inserted as a pinch runner for Everett, and after advancing to second on a one out wild pitch, she took third base on a passed ball on the fourth ball to Morgan White (Warren, Ohio/Champion). Szczypinski scored on Everett's game-winning hit with two outs to put the Tomcats in front 1-0.

After giving up a pair of hits in the top of the sixth to the Titans (22-18), Callahan retired three straight to close it out in the seventh.

Westminster's Chelsea Brown proved to be almost as effective as Callahan in the circle as she surrendered just the one run on four hits while striking out one.

Thiel is now set to face fourth-seeded Geneva College at 11 a.m. The Golden Tornadoes (29-17) were a perfect 2-0 to start the double elimination tournament Thursday and have forced Thiel to win two straight on Friday (1 p.m., if necessary) to secure the conference tournament championship.