CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The Thiel College softball team advanced to the second day of competition in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament after going 1-1 during the first day of competition Saturday.
Thiel suffered a 7-2 loss to top-seeded Thomas More in the second game of the tournament but advanced to the second day of competition by eliminating defending conference champion Saint Vincent, 2-1.
Saint Vincent scored its lone run in the first inning on an RBI-single by Emily Duerr, which scored Courtney Patterson.
The Tomcats scored the only two runs they would need in the third inning when
Vanessa Falce (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) hit a 2-RBI single, which brought home
A.J. Corradi (Youngstown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch) and
Alexa Fike (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional).
Fike led the Tomcats with two hits against the Bearcats. Shelby Noel also recorded two hits for the Bearcats.
Jessica Kelley (Sarver, Pa./Freeport) earned the win against Saint Vincent. She allowed one run on eight hits and two walks. Samantha Emert took the loss. She gave up two runs on six hits, struck out one batter and issued three walks.
In their opening game of the tournament, the Tomcats took a 1-0 lead over the Saints in the top of the first inning when Corradi hit a solo home run over the left field fence. However, Thomas More came back with two runs in the bottom of the first and added another run in the third.
Thiel cut the lead down to 3-2 in the fourth when
Alana Callahan (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch) pushed a run across the plate on an infield single, but Thomas More went on to score a run in the fifth and three more runs in the sixth to earn the win.
Corradi and Falce both collected two hits against the Saints. Corradi hit a solo homer in the first while Falce and Kelley each recorded a double.
Kelley allowed five earned runs against the Saints on 10 hits. Alix DeDreu earned the win. She allowed one earned run on eight hits with six strikeouts.
The Tomcats will face the Westminster Titans in Game E of the PAC Championship Tournament Sunday at 10 a.m. The winner will face Thomas More in the championship game at noon.
