LACEY, Wash. – Trailing in both games, the Saints managed to fight their way back to win a pair of one run games, 5-4 and 4-3, to sweep Western Washington on the year, in front of a packed home crowd.
Home runs by
Kim Nelson and
Tessani Dixon tied the first game, leading to a walk-off single by
Lindsay Miller as the Saints came back down 4-0 to win 5-4. Once again, Western Washington took a lead, heading into the bottom of the sixth up 3-1.
Sabrina Hicks delivered the crushing blow as she drove in two on a triple and scored on the play due to an error to put SMU on top 4-3.
The Vikings (12-29, 6-16) got on the board first, scoring three runs in the fourth, two coming off a home run to left field. Western managed to added their fourth run of the game in the fifth on a RBI single to center field.
The Saints' (22-17, 12-10) comeback attempt started in the fifth inning when Nelson, with two runners on base, connected for a three run home. It was her second home run of the season. The next batter, Dixon, tied the game up with her shot to left center, her team-leading sixth of the season.
The game went to extra innings, and in the eighth,
Alyssa French led-off with a single through the right side. After a fly out, Hicks walked and a fielding error loaded the bases with one out for
Lindsay Miller. Miller hit a soft ground ball in the middle of the field, where no Vikings could field in time and the Saints walked-off with a 5-4 victory.
Kim Nelson got the start, going 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five.
Lindsay Miller came in relief, throwing 1.1 innings before
Lauren Maley (14-11) earned her first win of the day with three innings of shutout ball, while striking out three.
"It was a great team effort on a comeback win," said head coach
Jim Peterson. "Tess Dixon and
Kim Nelson had big homeruns for us and
Lindsay Miller had a clutch game-winning RBI in extra innings to win the game."
In the second game, the Saints scored first on a RBI fielder's choice by Dixon, scoring
Emily Baca. The Vikings responded in the third inning with two runs, capitalizing on a couple Saints' errors. The final run of the game for WWU came in the sixth on a RBI double to right field.
French once again started the Saints' comeback, this time leading off the sixth with a double off the center field wall that just missed by inches of a home run.
Nicki DeHan followed it up with a double to right field, setting up runners on second and third for Hicks. Hicks connected on the first pitch for a two RBI triple to right center, and scored on the same play after a fielding error by WWU allowed her to come home.
Leading by one in the final inning, Western Washington started creating trouble. A led-off walk and single put the tying run in scoring position. Maley worked out of the jam with a fielder's choice, fly ball and a line out to center field, clinching the fourth straight one run win over Western Washington.
Kim Nelson once again got the start, throwing three innings, giving up two runs, one earned on four hits while striking out three. Maley (15-11) got the second victory of the day on four innings, one run while also punching out three Vikings.
"Another comeback win for us with
Lauren Maley pitching really well and
Sabrina Hicks coming up with a big hit in the sixth inning to take the lead," said Peterson. "Was another total team effort for us to get the victory."
The Saints close out the weekend with a doubleheader against Simon Fraser, tomorrow at noon at home. Live stats and video of the games will be available on smusaints.com.
