Incarnate Word won its first round game in the Heartland Conference championship softball tournament on Thursday. That was good but more importantly the win cuts down on the possible number of games the Cardinals will have to play.
UIW won 7-6 over St. Mary’s by getting two runs in the top of the sixth and then shutting down the Rattlers for their final two at-bats. What the win did for Incarnate Word (27-31) was send the Cardinals into the winners bracket where it is possible to get to the championship game by playing only twice over two days. If the Cardinals had lost they would have fallen into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination affair. This is what St. Mary’s did and now the Rattlers must play four games to reach Saturday’s title game.
St. Mary’s got it started in the bottom of the second with a pair of scores before UIW tied it in the top of the third with two on an infield error by the Rattlers and an RBI single to left by designated player Lea Padilla. In the bottom of the frame St. Mary’s went back on top with a single score.
UIW got that one back in the fourth when second sacker Chelsea Muskopf cracked her fifth home run of the year. The Cardinals then extended the lead to 5-3 with a duo in the fifth behind an RBI double by Padilla and a sacrifice fly to center by third baseman Sarah Holub pushing home first baseman Ashley Hinojosa who earlier was hit by a pitch.
The lead was short-lived however as St. Mary’s plated three in the bottom of the fifth to go up 6-5.
Incarnate Word was not done as the Cardinals scored in the top of the sixth for the fourth consecutive inning of run production. This time shortstop Alex Carraman singled home one before Padilla stroked her third safe hit of the game and collected her third RBI.
That would do the trick as senior righthander Amanda Sparks slammed the door on the Rattlers holding them scoreless over the final two frames. In getting her record to 15-10 for the year Sparks ended this game by striking out the final batter. Over the seven innings Sparks allowed the six runs, five earned, on seven hits. She walked three and struck out five.
The Cardinals now await the winner of the St. Edward’s and Texas / Permian Basin game. The UIW game will be at noon on Friday at St. Mary’s.