04/20/07

Rilee Dawson stepped to the mound on Friday morning at the UMAC Crossover in Morris, Minn., shook the cobwebs off due to the early, 10 a.m. start, and never looked back as she led the Saints to an 8-0, one-hit shutout of Bethany Lutheran College.

She struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning, struck out three more in the second, and then two more in the third -- the inning in which the Vikings registered their only hit of the game.

While Dawson was handcuffing Bethany Lutheran, Mary Jo McNamee, Katie Brown, Erica Kozacek, and Michaela Carlson were providing the punch at the plate.

McNamee finished 3-for-3 on the day with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Brown, Kozacek, and Carlson each collected two hits apiece. Kozacek and Carlson both had two RBI and a run scored while Brown scored twice for the Saints.

The Saints also put a lot of pressure on Viking pitchers when they reached base as St. Scholastica stole eight bases in the game. Brown and McNamee had two apiece while Chelsey Weiss, Robin Lake, Carlson, and Kozacek each picked up one.

The win improves St. Scholastica's season record to 9-13 and keeps them undefeated in conference play with a 3-0 mark. Bethany Lutheran falls to 4-19 overall and 2-3 in the UMAC.