GAME RESULT
Saint Louis 7, Dayton 3
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Atlantic 10 Conference Championship
George Mason Softball Complex
Fairfax, Va.
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THE BASICS
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Allie Herron sparked a Saint Louis comeback with a two-run triple,
Taylor Hochman tossed 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and the fourth-seeded Billikens defeated fifth-seeded Dayton 7-3 in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Wednesday afternoon.
•SLU (22-27) advances to face top-seeded George Washington Thursday at 11 a.m. Central. The regular-season champion Colonials earned a first-round bye.
•Dayton (19-23) plays the loser of the Saint Joseph's-Massachusetts game in an elimination contest later Wednesday.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
•Dayton scored a run in the top of the first inning and plated two more tallies in the third.
•The Flyers threatened to add on in the fourth, loading the bases. But Hochman, who relieved starter
Chloe Wendling with one out in the inning, put out the fire and kept the score 3-0.
•The Billikens rode the momentum shift into the bottom of the inning. Following a Wise single and a walk to
Jane Kaniecki, Herron delivered the three-bagger that made it a one-run game.
Cami Newbanks followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly.
•Saint Louis went in front by scoring twice in the fifth. Wise singled after
Gabbie Kowalik was hit by a pitch; Kowalik scored and Wise went to third when the ball eluded the Dayton right fielder. Kaniecki's RBI single made it 5-3 Billikens.
•The Bills added two insurance runs in the sixth.
Kristi Stevenson doubled in
Natalie Sullivan, who had walked. Stevenson advanced to third on the throw from the outfield and scored on Kowalik's groundout.
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BILLIKEN NOTABLES
•Herron added a single to join Wise in the two-hit column.
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Jocelyn Abbott collected a single.
•Hochman did not allow a hit, struck out three and walked only two. She retired 11 of the 13 batters she faced in notching her seventh victory of the season.
•Wise played in her 225th game as a Billiken, giving her sole possession of the school record. She now has eight SLU career marks.