CSS Softball Cruises to Fourth Straight UMAC Tournament Title

May 5, 2012

Northland Sports Online

Day two did not have the suspense that day one offered for the St. Scholastica softball team as it defeated the University of Minnesota Morris in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Softball Tournament championship game 9-0 in five innings on Saturday at Kenwood Field.

The Saints were tied in the sixth inning of both games yesterday and had to win the nightcap on suicide squeeze in the bottom of the seventh. They were also out-hit in both games on day one, but that would not be the story on day two.

The Cougars advanced to the championship game after defeating Northwestern College 5-4 in the first game of the day. Only one of the five runs was earned in the win as the Eagles committed four errors in the loss.

In the title game, Morris got the lead-off batter into scoring position in the top of the first, but a Darcy Roach (East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart HS) strikeout, paired with Bonnie Kowalczyk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls HS) throw out of the stealing base runner at third ended the inning. In fact, Morris would strand a runner in scoring position in the first four innings.

CSS then got the offense going right away as Merryssa Tiedeman (Zumbrota, Minn/Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS) led off with a single. After a sacrifice, Theresa Tauer (Plymouth, Minn. /Wayzata HS) doubled in Tiedeman to make it 1-0. Kowalczyk followed with a RBI double to right center to make it 2-0. That tied Tiedeman’s record for doubles in a season (18). Kowalczyk later scored on a Cougar error and Tiff Hudack (Ashland, Wis./Ashland HS) came in on a Molly Jazdzewski (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) RBI single as the Saints led 4-0 after one.

In the second inning, the first two CSS batters drew walks and Tiedeman followed with three-run home run to center field to extend the lead to 7-0.

After Tauer snow coned a hard line drive in the top of the third, which would have scored one Morris run, CSS added two more in the bottom of the frame. A Barb Malyuk (Ashland, Wis. /Ashland HS) double put runners at second and third, setting the stage again for Tiedeman, who hit a single to center to score both runs and make it 9-0.

Roach sat down the Cougars in order in the top of the fifth as Tauer recorded the final two outs to make the final 9-0 in five innings. For the Saints, it is their fourth straight UMAC Tournament championship and 14th overall. They receive the conference’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and will be making their third NCAA Regional Tournament appearance in program history.

Roach picked up her 19th win of the season, striking out five and allowing just four hits. Tiedeman was 3-for-3 with five RBIs and two runs scored. The five RBIs are a career-high for the senior, playing in her final home game.

The Saints (32-10) finish with a perfect 13-0 record at Kenwood Field this season, which matches the 2010 season for most home wins in a season. The 32 wins already achieved are the fourth-most in program history and the most since 2006.

St. Scholastica will find out Monday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and 9 a.m. local time on NCAA.com what regional they will be headed to. The most likely regional sites for the Saints will be either Pella, Iowa or Bloomington, Illinois. Stay tuned to csssaints.com for updates. The regional games would start on Thursday or Friday.

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