Hilltoppers season comes to an end on a walk-off home run
SAN ANGELO, Texas - As it has shown all season long, the St. Edward's softball team showed its resiliency once again Saturday evening in an elimination game against #25 Nebraska-Omaha at the ASU Softball Complex. The Hilltoppers were trailing 2-0 heading into their final at-bat before they scored two runs to send the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the ninth, Ashley Lynch launched a walk-off two-run home run to end the game and the season for the Hilltoppers, 4-2.
Nebraska-Omaha (44-16) opened the scoring in the first inning when Molly Feightinger reached on a one-out single. She advanced to third on a double by Lindsey Slocum. She then came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Jenna Dell to put the Mavericks ahead, 1-0.
The Mavericks added another run in the second inning when Kristi Meneely led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second on an error by first baseman Lana Jo Hairston, and then came into score on an RBI-single by Feightinger to put Nebraska-Omaha ahead, 2-0.
St. Edward's (41-21) had plenty of chances to score in the early going, but it left six runners on base in the first four innings.
Finally in the seventh inning the Hilltoppers started to rally. Sophomore Stacy Giles led off the inning to right field. She was replaced by freshman Tawny Klinkenberg to pinch run. Freshman Miranda Yeager followed with an infield single. Senior Jamie Zilverberg laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position. On the next play, Kelsey Cogdell hit a ground ball to shortstop and Klinkenberg got in a rundown at third and was tagged out for the second out. Down to their last out, the Hilltoppers got a RBI-single from sophomore Lexi Stephens. Freshman Meagen Bailey followed with a RBI-single up the middle to score Cogdell and knolt the score. Junior Lisa Paul was intentionally walked to load the bases and sophomore Courtney Lavender came up empty by flying out to end the inning.
Both teams had their chances in extra innings but neither team could push across a run until Lynch's shot with two outs in the ninth.
Freshman Paige Sandahl (18-4) kept the Hilltoppers in the game after that as she settled down after the first two innings to retire 15 of the next 17 batters. Fro the game, she allowed four earned runs (three earned) on six hits, while walking three and striking out 10 batters in 8.2 innings of work.
At the plate for the Hilltoppers, Stephens led the team, going 4-for-5 at the plate. The four hits pushed her season hit total to 112, which is tops in the nation. Valdosta State's Andi Braswell is the next closest with 95 hits, but her team is still alive in the NCAA Playoffs.
The Hilltoppers end the season with their fourth-straight 40-win season and their fourth-straight trip to the NCAA south Central Regional Tournament. Not too shabby for a team that had just one junior and one senior this season.