ST. EDWARD’S 1, INCARNATE WORD 0
Incarnate Word needed to win one more game over St. Edward’s on Saturday and then hope that Texas A&M International could defeat St. Mary’s to give the Cardinals top seed in next week’s Heartland Conference championship tournament.
Neither happened so UIW (14-6) will go to the tournament seeded three behind St. Edward’s (16-4) and St. Mary’s (16-5) with TAMUI (14-7) at four. The title affair is April 29 through May 1 in Austin.
Saturday’s game might well have been the championship game the way the two teams went at it. And it was all about pitching as often is the case. It was ace against ace and SEU’s Paige Sandahl and UIW’s Briana Sanchez lived up to their pre-game billings.
There were a total of five hits, none for extra bases. There were but six base on balls and a combined total of 19 strikeouts.
Sanchez carried a no-hitter through four innings before the Hilltoppers bunched their only two hits for the game’s only tally. Sanchez struck out the first batter. Brianna Bozon then singled to left center. Sanchez got another strikeout before walking Lana Hairston. Lexi Stephens singled to right field and when pinch runner Salena Acosta tried to score from second Cardinals right fielder Michelle Luna fired a bullet to home but catcher Kaylen Skinner couldn’t make a clean grab and Acosta scored the winner.
The Hilltoppers went quietly in the sixth and seventh but UIW could not get the bats heated up with the only base runner in the final two frames being Chelsea Muskopf on a base on balls in the seventh. The Cardinals managed only three hits in the contest with Muskopf collecting two of those.
These two teams had split a doubleheader on Friday with Incarnate Word winning the first and St. Edward’s capturing the nightcap.
SEU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 -- 1 2 1
UIW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0 3 1
Sandahl and Lavender. Sanchez and Skinner. WP—Sandahl (13-8). LP—Sanchez (21-7).
RECORDS:
St. Edward’s 32-19 (16-4)
Incarnate Word 26-22 (14-6)