Published: May 08, 2009 12:44 am         

St. Mary-of-the-Woods takes fourth in national tournament

Decatur, Ill. — Kristina Hoffart went 2-for-2 driving in three runs and scoring three runs as top-seeded Robert Morris-Springfield eliminated second-seeded St. Mary-of-the-Woods 6-5 in the third place game of the USCAA softball national championship.

Robert Morris-Springfield scored two runs in the first and third innings before The Woods started its rally. They scored a run in the third and two in the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-3. Each team scored two in the fifth for the 6-5 final.

Sarah Carby earned the win for Robert Morris-Springfield with five innings allowing nine hits. Allison Neff picked up the save with two innings allowing one hit and striking out one.

Aubrey Stich and Sara Goelz were named to the All-Tournament team from The Woods.



• Game 1: Judson 1, St. Mary Of The Woods 0 — Elyse McIntyre’s two-out single in the bottom of the seventh scored Haley Anderson with the winning run as seventh-seeded Judson College knocked off second-seeded St. Mary-of-the-Woods on Wednesday.

• Game 7: St. Mary Of The Woods 6, Briarcliffe 0 — Katelyn Tillotson went 2-for-3 for St. Mary-of-the-Woods, which won this elimination game against sixth-seeded Briarcliffe College, also on Wednesday.

In the fourth inning, The Woods scored two runs as Aubrey Stitch doubled in a run and Tillotson singled in Stitch. Two innings later they put the game out of reach with four runs .

Sara Goelz struck out nine and allowed six hits to pick up the victory.

• Game 9: St. Mary-of-the-Woods 1, Judson 0 — Amanda McGlone’s two-out double in the fifth inning scored Ashley Sankey with the eventual winning run as St. Mary-of-the-Woods eliminated Judson in Thursday’s first game.

Sarah Goelz picked up the victory as she allowed five hits and struck out four. Sankey, a Terre Haute South graduate, was 2-for-2 to lead a six-hit attack.

• Game 12: St. Mary-of-the-Woods 6, Penn State Beaver 4 — St. Mary-of-the-Woods exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third inning and held off a pesky Penn State Beaver squad for a 6-4 victory Thursday afternoon.

Winning pitcher Aubrey Stich drove in two runs with a single up the middle, and Chelsea Baker cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center in the third inning.

Libby Wright was 2-for-3 for the victors as they were out-hit 9-5 by the Nittany Lions. Penn State Beaver was paced by Alysia Policaro, who was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Kayla Chambers of Penn State Beaver was named to the All-Tournament team as the Nittany Lions took fourth place.