SXU, SAU Go Undefeated On Day One At Softball Tournament
CROWN POINT, Ind. --- Top-seeded Saint Xavier University and No. 3 seed St. Ambrose University were the only two teams to go unscathed on Day 1 of the 2025 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament at the Crown Point Softball Complex on Friday.
St. Ambrose needed to rally in its first game before pulling off an upset in the latter effort to go 2-0 on the day, while Saint Xavier needed just five innings to defeat No. 5 Indiana University South Bend 8-0.
That leaves four teams – No. 2 University of St. Francis (19-19), No. 4 Olivet Nazarene (23-18), Indiana South Bend (14-29) and No. 6 Calumet College of St. Joseph – facing elimination contests on Saturday. The former two squads face each other as do the latter two teams in the first games of the day at 1 pm. The two winners of those contests meet at 3 pm.
St. Ambrose and Saint Xavier determine who will be the lone remaining undefeated team after Saturday with their 3 pm matchup.
Recapping Friday:
Indiana South Bend 2, Olivet Nazarene 1
Aubrey Gearhart's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the game-winner for the Titans with a walk, single and wild pitch setting up the play. Reece Douglass authored the other run batted in when she broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning only to have Olivet Nazarene tie the score in the bottom half of the inning. Zoe Oshiro scored the only Tiger run as part of a two-hit day for her. Abigail Yarnell (4-7) tossed three innings of relief to notch the win.
St. Ambrose 9, Calumet St. Joseph 8 --- 8 Innings
Trailing 7-0 after 3 1/3 innings, St. Ambrose rallied to win after scoring in four of the final five innings, including a four-run sixth and a two-run seventh. Brynnlin Kroymann's three-run double was the big hit in the sixth inning, while Kylee Claypool (4-for-4, 3 RBIs) forced extra innings with her two-run single in the seventh inning. The Fighting Bees then used four straight singles to open the eighth inning with Ellie Downing pushing across the winning run with her base hit. Ada Boysen (8-2) allowed just one run in 4 1/3 innings of relief to gain the victory. Kylee Slack (2-for-4) drove home three runs for CCSJ.
Saint Xavier 8, Indiana South Bend 0
Aubrey Wroble (2-for-3) and Taylor Becker each drove in two runs and Haley Matlock provided a pair of hits for the Cougars, who cruised to the victory by scoring in each of their four at-bats. Lily Strand (15-4) permitted just one hit in the shutout victory.
St. Ambrose 3, St. Francis 2
St. Ambrose opened up a 3-0 lead after five innings courtesy of RBIs from Mady Reed (2-for-4), Mya Millsaps and Ellie Downing before St. Francis rallied late. The Fighting Saints pushed two runs across in the seventh inning, but left a runner at third base to end the game. Ada Boysen (9-2) claimed her second win of the day for the Fighting Bees, with Leah Maro collecting her second save of the season.
The updated schedule and results follow:
Friday, May 1, 2025
Game #1: No. 5 seed Indiana South Bend 2, No. 4 seed Olivet Nazarene 1
Game #2: No. 3 seed St. Ambrose 6, No. 6 seed Calumet St. Joseph 5 --- 8 innings
Game #3: No. 1 seed Saint Xavier 8, No. 5 seed Indiana South Bend 0
Game #4: No. 3 seed St. Ambrose 3, No. 2 seed St. Francis 2
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Game #5: No. 6 seed Calumet St. Joseph (15-26) vs. No. 5 seed Ind. S. Bend (14-29) --- 1 pm
Game #6: No. 4 seed Olivet Nazarene (23-18) vs. No. 2 seed St. Francis (19-19) --- 1 pm
Game #7: No. 3 seed St. Ambrose (27-18) vs. No. 1 seed Saint Xavier (34-6) --- 3 pm
Game #8: Winner-Game #5 vs. Winner-Game #6 --- 3 pm
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Game #9: Loser-Game #7 vs. Winner-Game #8 --- 12 pm
Game #10: Winner-Game #7 vs. Winner-Game #9 --- 2 pm (Championship)
Monday, May 5, 2025
Game #11: Winner-Game #10 vs. Loser-Game #10 --- 12 pm (If necessary)