The Thomas More College softball team reached the 30-win plateau today (Monday, April 24, 2017) as it swept Bethany College in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader at Thomas More Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The Saints won game one, 3-2, in nine innings and the nightcap, 6-1.
With the sweep, the Saints improve to 30-8 overall and 16-0 in the PAC. This is the fourth time in program history that Thomas More has won at least 30 games in a season. All four 30-win seasons have all come during ninth-year head coach Lindsay Eagan’s tenure. The Bison fall to 14-22 overall and 6-10 in the PAC.
Bethany took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the fourth, but the Saints rallied and scored one in the fifth and one in the seventh to force extra innings. In the bottom of the ninth, junior second baseman Sammy Sagers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) walked and then sophomore left fielder Mary Beth Odom (Taylor Mill, Ky./Dixie Heights) had a double to move Sagers to third base. Junior catcher Bree Appel (Amelia, Ohio/Batavia) had a sacrifice fly to center field to score Sagers for the 3-2 victory.
Sophomore pitcher Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind./Rising Sun) earned the win as she pitched all nine innings and gave up two runs (both unearned) on five hits and struck out eight.
The Saints had only six hits in the game and were led by Odom, who was three-for-four with a home run, two doubles , two runs scored and a run batted-in.
In the nightcap, the Saints scored two in the first and two in the second, before Bethany scored one in the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Thomas More plated four runs and cruised to the 6-1 victory. Junior pitcher Dallis Knotts (Florence, Ky./Boone County) earned the win in the circle as she pitched seven innings gave up one run (unearned) on seven hits and struck out two.
Odom hit another home in the game as she finished one-for-three with a run scored and three RBI. Two Saints had multiple hits in the game as DeDreu was two-for-four with a run scored and Appel was two-for-three with three RBI.
Thomas More closes out the regular season on Saturday (April 29) when it travels to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania for a 1 p.m. PAC doubleheader with Westminster College.
Cory Blackson
Director of Athletic Communications and Compliance
Thomas More College
