04/10/06

St. Scholastica shut down Hamline University 4-1 and 4-0 to sweep the Pipers in a doubleheader today at Kenwood Field in Duluth.

Senior pitcher Laura Heise picked up the win in each game -- including a nearly perfect no-hitter in game two -- to improve her season mark to 13-3 as well as lowering her ERA to 0.47.

Game one was scoreless until the Saints pushed two across the plate in the bottom of the third to grab the lead.
Sara Kneisl led off with a bunt single and moved to third when the next batter, Kristi Erickson, reached on an error. After Erickson stole second, Hamline pitcher Theresa Boleen walked Dre Thomas to load the bases for Heise.
Boleen got Heise on a long fly to left but an error by the Piper third baseman allowed each runner to move up a base, scoring Kneisl.
Erica Bond's groundout to second brought Erickson home, and the Saints finished the inning ahead 2-0.
Though they picked up two more runs in the fifth, Heise had all the run support she'd need after the third. She allowed only 3 hits the rest of the way, gave up an unearned run in the seventh, and finished with 11 strikeouts without a walk.

Kristi Erickson got game two off to a fast start for the Saints. A called strike on a 3-1 count had Erickson leaning toward first thinking it was ball four. Good for the Saints that it wasn't. Erickson crushed the next pitch over the center field fence to put the Saints up 1-0 after only six pitches.
Thomas singled to center next and eventually scored on a sac fly to center by Bond, the inning ending with the Saints up 2-0.
Rilee Dawson led off the bottom of the second and apparently liked Erickson's first inning, first batter idea. She poked a Boleen pitch over the left field fence to give the Saints a 2-0 lead.
Later in the inning, Kneisl singled, stole second, then came around to score on an Erickson single to left.
Heise now had a 4-0 lead after two, and once again, she had all she needed. She missed pitching a perfect game by only one batter who reached on an error in the fourth. The next batter lined out to Erickson in right who doubled up the runner at first who had strayed a bit too far toward second.
Facing the minimum of 21 batters, Heise picked up her 13th win of the season allowing no hits, no runs, no walks and struck out 5 Pipers.

At the plate for the Saints in the doubleheader sweep, Thomas finished 4 for 5 to lead the Saints offensively. Dre also scored twice and picked up an RBI. Erickson also had a good day at the plate finishing 3 for 6 with 2 RBI, 3 runs scored and a homerun, her second of the season.

The Saints get a day off before hitting the road and jumping back into UMAC play, traveling to Crown College for a Wednesday afternoon twinbill.