Softball 4/24/07 -- St. Mary's 4, Augsburg 1

BOXSCORE


MINNEAPOLIS (4/24/07) -- Scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning, the St. Mary's University softball team pulled away from Augsburg College for a 4-1 victory in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball game on Tuesday evening at Edor Nelson Field. The game marked the resumption of a doubleheader postponed on Sunday due to rain.

Tied at 1-1 entering the seventh, St. Mary's (16-10 overall, 11-5 MIAC) sent eight batters to the plate and converted three hits and two walks into three runs. With the bases loaded, Nikki Jung (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) singled to drive in a run. A fielder's choice by Tara Close (Sr., North St. Paul, Minn.) enabled another run to score, and a sacrifice fly by Jenny Giannini (Jr., River Grove, Ill./East Leyden HS) enabled a third run to score.

Augsburg (3-31 overall, 2-16 MIAC) got a single in the seventh, but could not score to end the game.

Sarah Green (So., Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS) pitched a complete game for Augsburg, and while allowing eight hits, forced the Cardinals to strand nine runners in the game, incluidng two on base in the fourth inning and the bases loaded in the fifth. Augsburg's defense also converted two double plays in the game.

After St. Mary's scored in the second inning on a Danielle Geske (So., Rosemount, Minn.) single to bring home Giannini, Augsburg tied the game in the fourth. Jolene Ross (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS) reached base on an infield single, moved around the bases on a sacrifice bunt by Kati Tweeten (Sr., Spring Grove, Minn.) and a single by Averie Swanson (Fr., St. James, Minn.), and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Liz Ehlers (So., St. Paul, Minn./Arlington HS).

Ross had two hits in the game for the Auggies, with Swanson, Green, Tiffany Magnuson (So., Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy HS) and Jacci Mattern (So., Lakeville, Minn.) collecting the other Auggie hits.

Megan Wallisch (Sr., Loveland, Colo./Holy Family HS) struck out four in a complete-game effort for the Cardinals. Close and Giannini had two hits apiece for the Cardinals.

Both teams return to MIAC play with doubleheaders on Wednesday (4/25) at 4 p.m., with Augsburg playing at Hamline and St. Mary's playing at Macalester.