BOX SCORE - BETHANY

BOX SCORE - W&J

The Saint Vincent Bearcats, playing as the #4 seed, lost to #1 seed Bethany College in the first round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, but came back with a win over #3 W&J to advance to the final day of the tournament.

After losing 2-1 to Bethany, SVC stormed back with a 5-2 victory over W&J.

Against Bethany, SVC got on the board in the top of the first, as Sarah Swettlen led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Courtney Patterson.  After Shelby Noel walked, Emily Duerr singled home Swettlen to put SVC in front, 1-0.

Samantha Emert started in the circle for the Bearcats and worked her way out of trouble in the first, getting a strikeout to end the inning with runners at the corners.  The Bison threatened again in the second, with runners at first and second, but Emert got a lineout to right field to end the threat.

In the third, Bethany's Kayla Kelly reached on a one-out walk, and Deanna Mihalco sent a ball over the fence in left to put the hosts in front 2-1, which proved to be the game winning hit.

SVC was able to get runners on base in innings four, five and six, but was unable to get a run.   A 1-2-3 seventh inning ended the game.

Emert (11-5) went the distance, giving up just three hits, walking four and striking out three.  Cassie Weiss (7-6) yielded four hits for the Bison and earned the win.

The Bearcats then moved on to an elimination game against Washington & Jefferson, which had lost 8-7 to Thomas More in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament.   

Sarah Swettlen led off the game for the Bearcats with her 8th home run of the season, equaling the school record.

In the bottom of the first, W&J loaded the bases with no outs and scored a run on an error.  With the bases still loaded, the W&J batter hit a ground ball back at pitcher Emert who threw home to catcher Breanne Wallace for the force out.  Wallace then threw to Noel at first for the second out.  The W&J runner that had started the play on second attempted to score as Noel was tossing the ball back to Emert.  Emert then turned and threw to Wallace, who tagged out the runner to complete a 1-2-3-1-2 triple play that kept the game tied, 1-1.

The score remained tied until the fifth, when Ally Panzella led off with a walk.  With one out, Courtney Patterson singled to put runners at first and second.  Noel then hit into a fielder's choice that erased Patterson and moved Panzella to third.  After Noel stole second to put both runners in scoring position, Emily Duerr hit a ground ball deep into the hole at short, which was ruled a single, scoring Panzella.  The throw, which would not have been in time to get Duerr at first, sailed wide, allowing Noel to score, making it 3-1.

W&J got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a bloop double that dropped fair just inside the right field foul line.

In the top of the 6th, SVC started the inning with a pair of singles from Emert and Kelsey Lineberger.  With one out, pinch-hitter Laken Lyon singled to left, scoring pinch-runner Rachel Harenchar, who slid in just under a tag after a relay throw, putting SVC in front 4-2.

The Bearcats added an insurance run in the top of the 7th, as Emert doubled home Noel to make the score 5-2.  

Emert (12-5) retired the Presidents in order in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.  She gave up five hits and just one earned run over 7 innings.

Saint Vincent now advances to the 11AM game on Saturday (May 2) in an elimination game against Bethany, who lost in the winner's bracket contest to Thomas More 5-2. The winner of the SVC and Bethany contest will face Thomas More in the Championship round.