CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The bats came alive for the No. 13-ranked St. Thomas softball team on the second day of the NCAA regional tournament, and were out in full force as the Tommies (38-6) avoided elimination twice Saturday.

After their offense was stymied yesterday against Augustana College (Ill.), the Tommies’ bats exploded for 14 runs on the day to defeat St. Scholastica 7-4 and Coe College 7-3.

“We can hit,” coach John Tschida said. “We’ve been in a little funk with our mechanics … today they opened up, and hopefully that will carry over (to tomorrow).”

The Tommies trailed early in their first game against St. Scholastica (27-12) when the Saints scored twice in the first inning against starting pitcher Annie Boyer, but the deficit did not last long.

After St. Thomas scored one run in the third inning on a single by catcher Emily Gregory, second baseman Meg DuPuis put the Tommies in the lead in the fourth inning with a two-out double to the gap in left-center, scoring two runs.

“It felt really good,” DuPuis said of the hit. “It wasn’t just me though, I had my teammates backing me up … It was a full team effort.”

Gregory took over from there. The senior hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, then a two-run blast in the seventh, giving her four RBIs for the game.

“I was seeing the ball a lot better today,” Gregory said. “We say look for one pitch, one location, and I feel like I did a good job of that.”

The momentum gained from the offensive burst carried into the Tommies’ second game of the day against No. 11-ranked Coe College (36-9).

St. Thomas jumped all over the Kohawks early and never looked back.

“We take it one game at a time, but (the first game) definitely got us really pumped to play the second game,” Gregory said. “After yesterday especially, we were excited to come out and come back stronger today.”

The big hitters in the St. Thomas batting order stepped up in game two. The 3-4-5 hitters for the Tommies (Gregory, Brenna Walek, and Erin Mussett) combined for two home runs, six runs and all seven RBIs in the victory.

Walek got the scoring started for the Tommies in the first inning with a two-run ground-rule double down the left field line. Mussett tacked on three more runs in the third inning with a home run to deep left. Walek finished off the scoring for St. Thomas with a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

“They’re all good hitters,” Tschida said. “Some have more power, some can run better, but they can all hit.”

To team with the offensive explosion, pitcher Breezy Bannon mowed down the Kohawk batters. The junior went the distance for the Tommies, striking out seven and allowing just 4 hits.

After the two wins Saturday, the Tommies are set for a rematch of Friday’s game against Augustana. The Tommies will need to beat the Vikings twice tomorrow due to the double-elimination format to win the regional, a task the Tommies are confident they can accomplish.

“We just play it game by game,” DuPuis said. “Our momentum carried us through the games today, so we’re just going to start over tomorrow and come in with the same mindset as we did today.”

“We’re just going to come out and leave it on the field,” Tschida said.

The Tommies will take on the Vikings at 10 a.m. Sunday, with the second game immediately after if needed.

Scott Sikich can be reached at siki3549@stthomas.edu.