THE BRONX, N.Y. – Dramatic rallies kept Saint Louis alive in two elimination games Friday before the Billikens fell to Loyola Chicago 7-5 in nine innings on day three of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship at Bahoshy Field.
 
SLU, the A-10 regular-season champion, concluded its season with a 30-25 record. The 30 victories are the most for the Billikens since 2015. Loyola Chicago (26-22), which finished second in the regular-season standings, advances to Saturday's championship round to face George Mason.
 
Saint Louis was staring elimination in the face in Friday's first game against Dayton, trailing the Flyers 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Following a one-out single by Cami Newbanks, Chloe Rhine was hit by a pitch and Natalie Sullivan walked to load the bases. Gabbie Kowalik then sliced a liner down the right-field line that the Dayton right fielder made a diving attempt for but could not secure, and the tying and winning runs scampered home for a 4-3 Billiken victory.
 
Dayton led 2-0 after scoring single runs in the second and third innings. Saint Louis pulled even in the fifth on Rhine's sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right-center.
 
The Flyers regained the lead with a run in the sixth, setting the stage for the Billikens' comeback.
 
Saint Louis pitchers worked out of numerous jams throughout the game as Dayton stranded 14 baserunners. Starter Kaili Hanner escaped bases-loaded situations in the second and fourth innings, allowing just the single second-inning tally in those two frames. Reliever Chloe Wendling, who pitched the final three innings and registered her 21st win, stranded two in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh.
 
Loyola grabbed a 1-0 first-inning lead in the second game, and Saint Louis tied it in the second with a two-out rally. Singles by Ashley Marietta, Jocelyn Abbott and Newbanks were followed by a bases-loaded walk to Rhine.
 
The Ramblers went back in front with a run in the third and expanded their lead to 5-1 with a three-run fifth. Kowalik's solo blast in the SLU fifth, her sixth home run of the season, narrowed the gap to 5-2.
 
Kowalik's homer was the 31st of her career, giving her sole possession of second place on SLU's all-time list. She tied the Billiken career mark of 168 runs scored.
 
Taylor Hochman, who relieved Wendling in the circle with one out in the sixth, kept Loyola off the board after the Ramblers loaded the bases in the seventh.
 
In the SLU seventh, Newbanks again sparked a rally with a leadoff single. After the next two batters were retired, Kowalik dumped an RBI single into short center field and advanced to second on the throw to the infield. Abby Mallo lifted a double to deep right field to plate Kowalik, and Kelsey Etling's single scored pinch runner Grace Kmak to send the game to extra innings.
 
In the eighth, Loyola stranded two runners and SLU left one. Both Loyola runs in the ninth were unearned.
 
Newbanks and Kowalik had three hits apiece.