Pitcher Kiersten Anderson-Glass’s second straight shutout from the mound pushed the St. Thomas softball team to defeat the Hamline Pipers 3-0 in the second round of the MIAC playoffs.
The Tommies (36-5 overall, 19-6 MIAC) rallied in the fifth and sixth innings to defeat the Pipers (24-15 overall, 16-6 MIAC) and advance to the MIAC championship game on Sunday.
“It was a team effort and we played a lot of defense to make it happen,” Anderson-Glass said. “We’ve worked the entire season to make it to this point, but tomorrow is still just another game.”
Senior Melissa Barry hits a single for the Tommies. Barry recently tallied her 200th hit. (Jacob Schneider/TommieMedia)
Coach John Tschida praised his team for keeping their composure and figuring out how to improve throughout the game. The Tommies didn’t have a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning.
“Their pitcher was really good today, she showed up and played her game really well,” Tschida said. “We figured out what we needed to do and we made it happen. There is a lot of versatility and a lot of players who have specific roles on this team; they’re all important in those roles.”
The Tommies only had three hits, but pinch-runner Alyssa Erdman’s fifth inning run set the tone. Erdman took base for infielder Megan Baniecke after she hit a single in the beginning of the inning. Erdman proceeded to steal second base on the following at-bat and eventually scored.
“(Players) steal bases and they run, they’re just as important as any other role on the team,” Tschida said.
Infielder Elise Barnes tallied the second score for the Tommies in the bottom of the sixth after she stole both second and third base following a base hit, and scored on a wild pitch error from Piper pitcher Alex Molloy. Following Barnes score, outfielder Dana Connelly made it home to make it 3-0.
“It’s a big deal, it’s a big goal to reach it (MIAC championship) and I think we’ve learned that over the past few years,” Barnes said. “Winning games throughout the season is important, and we did that, but showing up this weekend and finishing hard is what matters.”
The Tommies defeated St. Olaf 1-0 Friday, May 3 at South Field to advance to the second round against Hamline.
The Tommies will play at 11 a.m. Sunday for the MIAC title.
Jacob Schneider can be reached at schn6923@stthomas.edu.