05/05/07

St. Scholastica (24-16) swept through the first two rounds of the UMAC postseason tournament on Friday afternoon to move into the championship game on Saturday, May 5, at Kenwood Field.

The Saints dispatched Northwestern College in the opening round which brought on Northland College – a 5-4 round one winner of Presentation College – for a second round battle.

St. Scholastica and Northland split their season series five days ago, the Lumber-Jills handing the Saints their first regular season conference loss since the 2004 season, also to Northland.

The Saints jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the bottom of the first but Northland scored twice in the fourth for a 2-1 lead.

RBI singles from Katie Brown and Michaela Carlson in the bottom of the fourth put the Saints up for good, though.

In the sixth they put the game away with five runs keyed by a two-RBI single from Erica Kozacek that scored both Mary Jo McNamee and Chelsey Weiss.

Kozacek finished with a 3-for-4 game and two RBI in the win. Carlson was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Saints.

Aurora Albrecht had one of Northland’s three hits in the game, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh.

Rilee Dawson (13-7) earned the win for the Saints with a complete game, three-hit outing. She allowed only three walks and struck out 15.

Brittany Schmitt (14-8) of Northland (23-18) took the loss giving up eight runs – three unearned – on nine hits and two walks while registering one strikeout.

The loss sends the ’Jills into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament where they will square off against Presentation College, the same team they beat in the opening round of the tournament. Game time is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Kenwood Field on Saturday, May 5.

The Saints, 2-0 in the tournament, await the winner of the of the Presentation-Northland match up for a Noon game on Saturday that, if the Saints win, would secure their 11th and fifth consecutive postseason conference tournament title.