Weis' Extra-Inning Homer Lifts Thomas More to Win over Hiram

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May 9, 2009

OFFICIAL SITE | BRACKET | BOX SCORE

May 9, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. —  In a resumption of last evening's game which was halted after nine innings due to darkness, Thomas More's Jennifer Weis blasted a two-run homer in the top of the 10th lifting the Saints to a 13-11 win over Hiram in the first round of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.

Steph Stadtmiller led off the 10th with a single before Weis lifted the homer to just right of center into a stiff wind.

The Saints improved to 36-10 with the win and play Defiance at Noon today. Hiram finishes its season at 27-16.

Hiram got off to a strong start with five runs in the bottom of the first with the last three coming on Heidi Gipson's three-run homer to left. The Saints tied the score at 5-5 with three in the second and two in the fourth. They then took the lead with three more in the fifth on four doubles to take an 8-5 advantage.

Gipson's run-scoring single in the fifth closed the gap to 8-6, but Brittany Wegman's two-run blast in the sixth pushed Thomas More's lead to 10-6.

Hiram closed the margin to 10-9 with three unearned runs in the sixth and tied the game in the seventh on Stephanie Zunic's two-out, two-strike single which scored Gipson.

The Saints scored in the top of the eighth on Wegman's two-out single which brought home Stadtmiller. Gipson's two-out, two-strike single brought home Whitney Dropsey with the game-tying run.

Thomas More totaled 9 hits as Stadtmiller and Wiesman each had four. Weis and Ladenburger each had three with Wegman and Kim Prahl adding a pair apiece.Ladenburger drove in five in the win.

Hiram finished with 18 hits led by Gipson's four and three each from Samuel and Dropsey. Zunic, Frank and Cooney each had two.

Ladenburger improved to 17-6, while Sarah Padilla dropped to 6-6. Dana Bors pitched a scoreless 10th and picked up her first save.

The teams combined for 37 hits which broke the Division III  Championship record for two team combined. The old mark was 34 by Linfield and Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2007.