8:00 p.m. - Firestone Stadium, Loser's Bracket Final/4th Place Game
#7 Ave Maria University (4-1) - 5, #4 Iowa Wesleyan College (2-2) - 4
The Gyrenes of Ave Maria certainly know how to make coach Tim Speakman sweat. Down two runs in the bottom of the seventh against four-seed Iowa Wesleyan, the Gyrenes capped an incredible day with a 5-4 walk-off win.
Sarah Vinci once again finished in the spotlight, capping a long day with a two-run, two out single through the right side to advance Ave Maria to the loser's bracket play-in/third-place game against top-seed Briarcliffe on Wednesday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. at Firestone Stadium.
But the story so far for Ave Maria has been their four wins, three of which have come by one run. Two of those wins have come in walk-off fashion, and in another they squandered a 9-0 lead only to score in the top of the seventh and hold on for a 10-9 win.
The drama on Tuesday night began with Jessenia Gonzalez reaching on an Iowa Wesleyan error, the Tigers' first such mistake of the tournament. Erika Avery and Caitlin Constance each singled to load the bases, and after a line out to left field, Alexandra Campbell singled to plate Gonzalez and cut the Iowa Wesleyan lead to 4-3. After another line out, this time to second base, Vinci stepped to the plate. Vinci cracked an outside pitch through the right side as Avery and Constance crossed home for the walk-off win, 5-4.
To that point, Tigers pitchers Ayla Serrano and Sonja Holmes had held the Gyrenes offense in check, allowing only five hits and two runs through the first six innings while striking out four. However, Holmes couldn't hold the lead in relief as Ave Maria won their third game of the day.
Iowa Wesleyan plated two runs each in the third and fifth innings, including an RBI single from Andrea Bury in the fifth to make it 4-2. The Tigers finish the tournament in fourth place with a record of 2-2.
