Box Score After being shut out on the scoreboard Monday in a 1-0 loss to top-seeded Central Methodist, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods found some early offensive production Tuesday in building a 2-0 lead against No. 2 seed Campbellsville.
Ashley Shanks picked up an RBI infield single in the top of the first to drive in Camryn Scott, who had walked, advanced to second on a walk and stole third. In the third, Lyric Krause smashed a single to center field to drive in Victoria Lee from second.
Summer Rocha allowed just one earned run for the second straight day in the pitching circle for the Pomeroys, but errors allowed Campbellsville to pull ahead and hold on for a 4-3 victory. The loss eliminated SMWC from the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, ending the historic season with a 29-14 record.
In the seventh inning, Krause hit a one-out solo home run that into the right-field scoreboard, and Jaselyn Conn lined a single to left, but Riley Pender and Riley Bennett were retired for the final two outs of the game.
The SMWC offense compiled 10 hits but left 10 runners on base for a total of 18 runners stranded in two days.
"We came out and scored right off the bat. We figured we would come out better offensively, just not having the jitters we had [Monday] being our first time playing in an NAIA Regional," SMWC coach Jim Walker said. "We were definitely better offensively, but we still missed a key hit here and there. If we get another key hit or two, we probably put up some crooked numbers and it makes it a little tougher on [Campbellsville]."
Campbellsville was ruled as having one error, but the Tigers were sound defensively throughout, robbing the Pomeroys of several hits, including a running catch at the warning track in right field on a ball struck by Lee that just missed being a go-ahead home run in the fifth.
"Summer pitched a great game again today and definitely deserved a better outcome. [The Tigers] made a couple really good defensive plays against us to save some runs and we had a few plays that cost us a couple runs. It came down to the defense today. If we make the plays we're supposed to make, they have one run," Walker said.
The Pomeroys were unable to cushion their early advantage, leaving two runners stranded in that third inning and two more in the fourth.
Campbellsville seized the momentum in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff walk to Taylor Windell. Ashby Murt's sharp single to center field got past Lee for an error that allowed Murt to reach third. She trotted home on an RBI groundout by Payton Blades.
In the sixth, with the game still tied 2-2, Keely Bowling reached with one out on an error by Conn and Lexi Miller drove in pinch runner Sam McKee and Riley Hurst, who reached on a walk, to put the Tigers ahead 4-2.
The Pomeroys came up short in the seventh despite Krause's home run that gave her 54 RBIs this season.
Krause will be one of many key players returning for a relatively young roster that looks to come back even stronger in 2023.
"It's definitely bittersweet. We'll turn a new chapter for a season next year. We have a lot of talent incoming that will help boost some spots. It's going to come down to the work we put in the offseason and knowing us and how much we hate losing, I think we'll be able to go further than we did this year."
Walker's message to the Pomeroys was to be proud of all that was accomplished in a year that included a River States Conference Tournament championship in the first year in the league.
"We have a lot to be proud of," Walker said. "The fact that we're a first-year NAIA program, picked seventh in the conference in the preseason and to be playing in an NAIA regional, these girls have a lot to be proud of. We played five Top 25 teams in the country and have lost by a total of five runs. That shows how close we are as a program to getting to where we want to be."