Thursday, May 7, 2015

NCAA West Regional #1 (at St. George, Utah):  Thursday  - #3 California Baptist 8,  #6 Chico State 1; #2 Dixie State 7, #7 Saint Martin's 5.  Friday - Dixie State 11, California Baptist 0; Saint Martin's vs. Chico State, 1:30 p.m.; California Baptist vs. Game 4 winner, 4 p.m. Saturday - Dixie State vs. TBA, 2 p.m. (Game to follow if necessary).

ST. GEORGE, Utah - Saint Martin's nearly had a comeback for the ages Thursday night at Karl Brooks Field.

Trailing nationally fourth-ranked Dixie State 7-0 in the seventh and facing a pitcher with a season-record of 24-0, the Saints came within just a single from tying the game before a 2-2 pitch by relief pitcher Aryn Feickert at the knees was called strike three enabling the Red Storm to escape with a 7-5 victory.

Starting pitcher Michelle Duncan, now 25-0 on the season - Dixie State is 45-7 - took a one-hit shutout into the seventh before the Saints put five hits together.

The inning started with a swinging strike out by Taviah Jenkins, SMU's leading RBI producer, and ended on a called third strike against Jenkins.

In between, SMU got RBI singles by pinch-hitter Christina DeMar  and leadoff hitter Mary Dettling, an error that resulted in a run and a two-out, two-run single by Sam Munger.

After a wild pitch moved the tying runs to second and third base, the impossible all of a sudden looked almost probable with Jenkins coming to the plate for the second time in the frame.  But, it was not to be.

Munger was the losing pitcher, falling to 23-6 on the season.  In 5 1/3 innings, she gave up 11 hits, including three each to Dixie leadoff batter Janessa Bassett and three to second baseman Nicole Chavez.

Chavez drove in four runs, three with a home run in the bottom of the sixth, which at that time looked just as "add-on", but ended up being the difference.

Dettling had two of SMU's six hits including a single to lead off the fourth.

Saint Martin's (41-19) will now play Chico State, an 8-1 loser to California Baptist, in a loser-out game Friday at 1:30 p.m.  A win will send the Saints into another loser-out game at 4 against the loser of a 11 a.m. game betweem California Baptist and Dixie State.