The Seattle University softball team needed all the runs it scored, as South Dakota stayed in the game with a late rally before SeattleU held on for a 10-9 victory in the championship game of the Division I Independent Softball Tournament hosted by Northern Colorado at Butler-Hancock Field.
Seattle University seemingly pulled away in the sixth inning, as Hannah Klein (Camarillo, Calif.) led off with a double, followed by walks to Jodie Schmehr (El Cajon, Calif.) and Sandra Hernandez (Redlands, Calif.) that loaded the bases. Pinch hitter Heather Hansen (Redmond, Wash.) drove in a run with a single, and Katie Antich (Spokane, Wash.) did the same, keeping the bases loaded.
After a South Dakota pitching change, Katie Petersen (Mission Viejo, Calif.) singled in another run, and Jamie Foote (Lynnwood, Wash.) was able to bring in the fourth run of the inning on a groundout. Two consecutive passed balls brought in Antich and Petersen and increased SeattleU’s lead to 10-3.
South Dakota (33-18) did not give up, putting the first two batters on base in the bottom of the sixth, with a wild pitch advancing them to second and third. A single up the middle by Michelle Jones drove in one run, with a single by Dani Bahlmann bringing in another run. Jones would score on a fielder’s choice, with Callie Roan sending a single up the middle to score Lexie Eversley.
Tagney Jones drove in Roan with a double to centerfield that brought the Coyotes within two at 10-8. Klein came on in relief of SeattleU starter Kelsey Reynolds (Kent, Wash.), but Mel Johnson kept the rally going with a single to rightfield that scored Jones. Klein was able to induce a groundout to end the inning, and then she notched two strikeouts and a popout in the seventh inning to save the game and the tournament title for the Redhawks.
Seattle University jumped on top right at the start, as Antich, Petersen, Foote, and Lisa Hill (Tahuya, Wash.) hit consecutive doubles, scoring three runs. Hill advanced to third on a South Dakota error and scored the fourth run of the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Schmehr.
South Dakota cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Johnson walked and Alaina Novotny singled to put two runners on base. With two outs, Michelle Jones singled to center field, and a misplay by the SeattleU defense allowed Johnson and Novotny to score for the Coyotes. In the fifth inning, South Dakota scored another run when Roan singled and scored on a double by Tagney Jones.
Reynolds gave up only two hits in the first three innings before South Dakota started its comeback in the fourth inning, but she still earned her ninth victory of the season. Brittany Donohue, the losing pitcher for the Coyotes, overcame her early problems to pitch well until the sixth inning, when she could not get the first five batters out before being replaced.
Eight of the nine batters in the starting lineup earned either a hit or a run during the game, with seven of them picking up at least a hit and a run. For the weekend, Foote batted .600 with six runs scored and seven runs batted in, while Klein batted 10-of-17 (.588) with four runs scored and Jessica Amador (Whittier, Calif.) hit .471 with two doubles and six runs batted in. Antich led the team during the tournament with seven runs scored, with Petersen contributing seven hits and five runs scored.
Klein also had a solid pitching performance over the past two days, going 2-0 with a 1.58 earned run average and a save, giving up only three runs in 13 1/3 innings of work. As a team, Seattle University batted .362 in earning the tournament title, scoring ten runs in the championship game and nine runs in two of the Saturday games.
The softball team becomes the fifth Seattle University squad to win a tournament featuring Division I schools, joining the men’s soccer (UC Irvine Classic), women’s soccer (Idaho Governor’s Cup), volleyball (Dig For The Cure Classic), and men’s basketball (Spring Thaw Tournament) teams. The softball team also joins the men’s basketball squad as SeattleU teams that won an end-of-season tournament among independent schools.
Seattle University finishes the 2009 season with an 18-20 record, including victories over Division I schools Illinois-Chicago, Loyola Marymount, Boise State, Utah Valley, Saint Mary’s, New Mexico, and Idaho State. SeattleU also faced nationally-ranked Washington as well as Pac-10 schools Oregon and Oregon State during its first season in Division I.
Although SeattleU will lose top hitter Foote as well as fellow seniors Hill, Hansen, and Cassie Cueto (Benton City, Wash.), the team is set to return six starters and both pitchers for the 2010 season. Seattle University will join the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and will compete in the Mountain Division along with Portland State, Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Weber State, and Utah Valley.