05/14/06

Seniors will eventually play their last game.

For the Saints and their graduating seniors, this one, though, might hurt the most.

Forced into the loser's side of the NCAA Midwest Regional bracket in Indianola, Iowa after yesterday's loss to No. 1 St. Thomas, the 5th-seeded Saints faced elimination today as they battled with 2nd-seed Wartburg for the right to keep hope alive.

Through six innings of play, the Saints could only muster one run on a solo shot from senior Laura Heise in the top of the fourth inning. It was their only hit of the game until Sara Kneisl led the sixth off with a single but couldn't move past second after her stolen base.

But the Saints had the key to stopping Wartburg -- Heise on the mound.

Already named to the All-Region first team and as the UMAC's Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive season, Heise held Wartburg scoreless through six innings as she worked her way out of five innings with runners in scoring position.

The Saints went down in order in the top of the seventh and were three outs away from advancing, and keeping hope alive.

Wartburg's lead-off single tightened things up, though.

After a strikeout to record the first out, a passed ball moved the runner up to second. A single from the next batter and an error in the field brought in the tying run and placed the winning run on second.

A hit batsman later, Heise faced Ashley Rogers with one out and runners on first and second. Rogers was 0-for-2 on the day so far with a first inning walk and a sixth inning strikeout. This at-bat would have a different result.

Rogers ended the Saints season with a walk-off three-run homerun to left-center for a 4-1 victory, dashing the hopes St. Scholastica harbored through the first six innings with their precarious 1-0 lead.

Heise (26-6) surrendered four runs, one unearned, on nine hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts. She has now passed the career-leader for strikeouts in Division-III and is the new career record-holder with 1,125 strikeouts. The only other active player that had been within hailing range, Lacey Lister from Salisbury (Md.) University, recently ended her season and career in a different NCAA Regional with a career total of 1,096, the fourth highest total on the NCAA list.

The No. 21 Saints (37-9) close out a very successful season as the UMAC regular season Champions, UMAC Tournament Champions, and with their first NCAA Regional appearance where they finished with a 1-2 record.

For most of the team there's always next year but sadly, heartbroken seniors Kristi Erickson, Laura Heise, Sara Kneisl, Paula Madden, Dre Thomas and Jody Yurczyk will now hang up their Saints jerseys for the last time.