Box Score

In one of the two opening round games of the 2007 UMAC postseason tournament, third-seeded Presentation College (12-21) scored three runs in the top of the seventh to tie #2 seed Northland College (23-17) but would fall into the loser’s bracket of the tournament when the LumberJills scored the winning run in the bottom half of the inning for a 5-4 win.

Tiffany Datko (Inver Grove Heights, MN) reached on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh for Northland and came in to score the game-winner on Becky Walters (Porterfield, WI) single through the right side.

Presentation jumped out to a 1-0 lead over the higher-ranked LumberJills with a run in the top of the first after Jen Bourdon led the game off with a single to right-centerfield. After a stolen base, she raced around from second to score on a Heather Bourdon single through the left side of the infield that energized the Saints.

Northland roared back in the third with three runs keyed by a two-out, two-RBI single from Aurora Albrecht (Cadott, WI).

A solo shot by Katie Zaban (Frankfort, IL) that cleared the fence in left-centerfield pushed the LumberJills to a 4-1 lead after five innings.

Presentation wasn’t ready to go quietly, though, and rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game.

After a leadoff walk to Desiree Fierro-Tilton, Northland starter Natalie Anderson (Appleton, WI) gave way to ace freshman Brittany Schmitt (Abbotsford, WI). But an error and single through the middle loaded the bases with no outs for Presentation.

Meghan Schmidt’s ground out brought one run in and two batters later Kimberly Bourdon’s double brought two more across the plate to knot things up.

Datko, who had yet to get on base in three tries earlier in the game, reached on a fielder’s choice setting up the dramatic win for the LumberJills.

Schmitt picked up the win after Northland’s late game heroics and moved to 14-7 on the season while Kimberly Bourdon (5-9) took the loss.

Northland’s win sends them into the winner’s bracket where they will face top-seeded and tournament host St. Scholastica.

Presentation will try to stem off elimination in the loser’s bracket with a match up against Northwestern College, who fell 5-1 to St. Scholastica in game one of the tournament.

Box Score

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 LumberJills 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 (Cadott, WI) had one of Northland’s three hits in the game, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh.  Bobi Jo Wolf (Marquette, MI) added a two-run in the fourth inning for the Jill's.

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 (Abbotsford, WI) (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 Jill's 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.