Box Score AKRON, Ohio – The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College softball team won Wednesday's battle of the top seeds at the USCAA Softball Small College World Series. The top-seeded Pomeroys defeated No. 2 Carlow, 4-3, to earn the right to defend their 2015 USCAA national title.
The Pomeroys had their hands full on Wednesday against the Celtics, as it took a sixth inning RBI double by sophomore Marlee Yeager to take the lead. The Pomeroys recorded 12 hits on the day that translated into four runs, as senior Sarah Burnham pitched a complete game, her third of the tournament, to earn her 15th win of the season. Burnham allowed five hits and struck out five batters.
SMWC scored one run in each of the first three innings to take a 3-2 lead into the fourth. The first run came via Burnham, who went 2-for-4 on the day, when she hit a double to right center to score junior Emma Riffe. The second run came in via an RBI single by freshman Kindra Gingerich to score sophomore Kelly Combs, and the third run came from sophomore Kerri Schrock's single that scored Yeager in the third.
The Pomeroys' bats then went silent in the fourth and fifth, while the Celtics added the tying run in the top of the fifth. Running out of time and trying to punch a ticket to the national championship game, Yeager hit a double to score Riffe and give the Pomeroys the lead in the bottom of the sixth. The inning would end with junior Camille Ulery having a home run robbed, but SMWC's one run lead would be enough.
SMWC's defense closed Carlow out in the top of the seventh with three groundouts after the lead off batter got on base with a single. Riffe finished the game with a 3-for-4 performance and scoring two of SMWC's four runs.
The Pomeroys will now face No. 2 Carlow again in tomorrow's USCAA National Championship. Carlow defeated No. 3 NHTI to get into the championship game from the loser's bracket. The Pomeroys will be looking to claim their 10th title in program history at noon at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. The championship game will be streamed LIVE via the USCAA.
