Box Score
ESU Game Live Stats
SAN ANGELO, Texas - After fouling off five straight pitches,
Ashley Lynch's first home run of the season extended the Mavericks' season as they beat St. Edward's, 4-2 in nine innings in an elimination game in the NCAA South Central Region Saturday night.
Nebraska-Omaha improved to 44-16 and will now play Emporia State in the elimination final Saturday night. This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools in two weeks of postseaon play. The winner will play Angelo State, the host school, Sunday at 1 p.m. for the region championship.
Emma Wright walked with one out in the ninth and then Lynch lifted the ninth pitch of the at-bat just over the left field fence for the walk off homer, her third of her career.
Beth Haley, who entered in the seventh and allowed two inherited runners to score and tie the game, earned the win and improved to 13-6.
The Mavs had a chance to shut out SEU and win 2-0. After the first two Hilltopper batters reached in the seventh, UNO starter
Melissa Negrete was replaced by Haley and those two runners scored as they were driven in on an infield single from Lexi Stephens and a single up the middle from Megan Bailey.
Haley then retired the side and
Kristi Meneely led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to put her in position to win the game. The next three batters were set down in order to leave here there and send UNO to its second straight extra-inning game.
The Mavericks took a 2-0 lead after they scored single runs in each of the first two innings.
Molly Feichtinger hit a one-out single up the middle in the bottom of the first and then she advanced to third on
Lindsey Slocum's double to center.
Jenna Dell then popped to right field to drive her in on a sacrifice for the game's first run.
In the second inning Meneely walked and she was later replaced on the bases by
Katelyn Hinton. Feichtinger then hit her second of three hits on the day to drive in Hinton.
The Hilltoppers left runners on base in each of the first four innings. In the third they had runners on first and second with no outs when Lisa Paul hit a liner to Wright, the Maverick first baseman, and she caught it and stepped on the bag for an unnassited double play. The next batter then grounded out to second to end the inning.
St. Edward's had 11 hits while UNO had just six but the Maverick pitchers stranded 11 Hilltoppers on the bases.
Negrete gave up the two runs off seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk through 6 1/3 innings. Haley went the final 2 2/3 innings and gave up four hits and three walks.
