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NCAA News Archive - 2005
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By winning a second straight NCAA Division III Softball Championship, St. Thomas (Minnesota) grabbed a piece of history along with more hardware to put in the school trophy case.
The Tommies are only the second team in the 24-year history of the Division III softball tournament to capture back-to-back titles, joining Eastern Connecticut State (1985-86).
St. Thomas ended a dominant run through the final eight-team, double-elimination bracket by slugging its way to a 9-3 victory over Salisbury in the championship game May 23 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Tommies, who are 20-0 in postseason play over the last two seasons, outscored their NCAA tournament opponents, 47-7, this year.
St. Thomas catcher Nikki Conway broke open a scoreless game with a bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the fourth inning. In seven tournament games, Conway was 13-for-23 (.565) with 11 runs batted in and 12 scored.
After Salisbury cut the margin to 3-2 in the top of the fifth, St. Thomas all-America shortstop Kristi Huegel hit a solo home run to spark another three-run rally by the Tommies.
St. Thomas put up another three-spot in the sixth to make the final inning less dramatic.
"You have to be lucky, good and work hard," said St. Thomas coach John Tschida. "To win two NCAA championships is amazing. There are a lot of coaches and players who go a whole lifetime trying to get one. It's nice to have the seniors be able to win two of them."
Huegel, Michelle Wong, Katie Wieberg, Colleen Fitzpatrick and Kathleen Fitzpatrick all ended their careers with another title. During their careers, St. Thomas was 159-25 (.864) and 24-3 (.889) in postseason play.
Huegel finished her career with 186 hits, 145 RBI and 121 runs scored. Wong ended with 214 career hits, which ranks first in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history and 19th in Division III.
"St. Thomas hit the ball really well," said Salisbury coach Margie Knight. "They are one of the best hitting teams I've ever seen."
Salisbury fought its way through the losers' bracket after dropping a 5-0 decision in which St. Thomas' Janet Nagle no-hit the Sea Gulls on the second day of the tournament.
Nagle was the winning pitcher in the final game, although she needed relief help from Maria Bye to seal the game. During her postseason career, Nagle is 18-0.
Salisbury finished the season with a 44-6 record. St. Thomas was 43-6, including victories over clubs ranked No. 1, 2, 3 and 6 in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
"We played in such a tough regional that it was like winning a world series just to get to the world series," Tschida said. "We went 3-0 at the regional in Iowa with big wins over Washington U. (St. Louis) and Coe, and we knew if we could play near that level we'd be in good shape. Our pitchers were outstanding, and Nikki Conway came up huge. It seemed like every time we needed a big hit, she came through."
Game No. 1
| Williams | 000 | 011 | 0 -- 2 | 2 | 0 |
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | 002 | 300 | x -- 5 | 6 | 1 |
Clara Hard, Margaret Ryan (5) and Mary Baccash; Janet Nagle, Maria Bye (5) and Nikki Conway. W -- Nagle. L -- Hard.
Game No. 2
| Alma | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Salisbury | 002 | 100 | x -- 3 | 7 | 0 |
Melissa Tavidian, Kay McDonald (6) and Eileen Butler; Lacey Lister and Kim Rementer. W -- Lister. L -- Tavidian.
Game No. 3
| Muskingum | 010 | 000 | 00 -- 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Chapman | 100 | 000 | 01 -- 2 | 8 | 1 |
Erica Hoyt and Kari Hoying; Maggie Wilder, Jennifer Winford (3) and Ashlie Vohs. W -- Winford. L -- Hoyt.
Game No. 4
| Wm. Patterson | 000 | 000 | 00 -- 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Ithaca | 000 | 000 | 01 -- 1 | 6 | 3 |
Diana Schraer, Jenn Scott (7) and Mindy Coxe; Carly Myers and Hannah Shalett. W -- Myers. L -- Scott.
Game No. 5
| Williams | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Alma | 010 | 000 | x -- 1 | 4 | 0 |
Clara Hard and Mary Baccash; Leigh Ann LaFave and Shannon Harrington. W -- LaFave. L -- Hard.
Game No. 6
| Wm. Patterson | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Muskingum | 012 | 000 | x -- 3 | 7 | 1 |
Jenn Scott, Diana Schraer (4) and Mindy Coxe; Erica Hoyt and Kari Hoying. W -- Hoyt. L -- Scott.
Game No. 7
| Salisbury | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 0 | 1 |
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | 003 | 020 | x -- 5 | 10 | 0 |
Lacey Lister, Kirsten Wells (3) and Kim Rementer, Tee Dronenburg; Janet Nagle and Nikki Conway. W -- Nagle. L -- Lister.
Game No. 8
| Ithaca | 003 | 010 | 00 -- 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Chapman | 003 | 001 | 01 -- 5 | 9 | 1 |
Nicole Cade, Carly Myers (3) and Hannah Shalett; Maggie Wilder, Jennifer Winford (3) and Ashlie Vohs. W -- Winford. L -- Myers.
Game No. 9
| Muskingum | 000 | 000 | 1 -- 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Salisbury | 000 | 000 | 3 -- 3 | 5 | 1 |
Erica Hoyt and Kari Hoying; Lacey Lister and Kim Rementer. W -- Lister. L -- Hoyt.
Game No. 10
| Alma | 030 | 100 | 0 -- 4 | 9 | 2 |
| Ithaca | 040 | 001 | x -- 5 | 7 | 1 |
Melissa Tavidian and Eileen Butler; Carly Myers, Nicole Cade (3) and Hannah Shalett. W -- Cade. L -- Tavidian.
Game No. 11
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | 300 | 100 | 0 -- 4 | 9 | 1 |
| Chapman | 100 | 000 | 0 -- 1 | 6 | 2 |
Janet Nagle, Maria Bye (1) and Nikki Conway; Marissa Becerra, Jennifer Winford (1) and Ashlie Vohs. W -- Bye. L -- Becerra.
Game No. 12
| Ithaca | 001 | 100 | 000 | 0 -- 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Salisbury | 200 | 000 | 000 | 1 -- 3 | 9 | 1 |
Nicole Cade, Carly Myers (3) and Hannah Shalett; Lacey Lister and Kim Rementer. W -- Lister. L -- Myers.
Game No. 13
| Chapman | 000 | 010 | 0 -- 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Salisbury | 100 | 002 | x -- 3 | 5 | 3 |
Jennifer Winford and Ashlie Vohs; Lacey Lister, Kirsten Wells (5) and Kim Rementer. W -- Wells. L -- Winford.
Championship game
| Salisbury | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | A |
| Kristy Shaffer, ss | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Serena Fleming, cf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Erin Ruest, 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Leslie White, 3b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tee Dronenburg, dh | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eryn Mathews, pr | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nichole Fuqua, 2b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kareem Falcon, lf | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lacey Lister, p | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Kirsten Wells, p | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kim Rementer, c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Whitney Schrader, rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 25 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | A |
| Nikki Conway, c | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Michelle Wong, 2b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kristi Huegel, ss | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Katie Wiberg, cf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maria Bye, lf/dh | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Kathleen Fitzpatrick, lf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carrie Embree, 1b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Mandy Evans, 3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Collen Fitzpatrick, rf | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kristina Trapp, dh/lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Janet Nagle, p | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 26 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| Salisbury | 000 | 021 | 0 -- 3 | 5 | 1 |
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | 000 | 333 | x -- 9 | 10 | 3 |
E -- Shaffer, Evans 3. LOB -- Salisbury 5, St. Thomas (Minn.) 7. 3B -- Conway. HR -- Huegel. SH -- Fleming, Fuqua, Wiberg, Bye. SF -- Embree. SB -- Embree, Evans.
| Salisbury | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB | BF |
| Lister (L) | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 28 |
| Wells | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB | BF |
| Nagle (W) | 5.1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 23 |
| Bye | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
PB -- Rementer. T -- 1:49. A -- 169.
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