Normandy, Mo. - On Championship Saturday of the NCAA Division II Tournament Midwest Regional #2, the Maryville softball team dropped two games to Wayne State Saturday in games at the UMSL Softball Field. The Saints lost game one 8-5 and were edged 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning on a sac fly to bow out of their first appearance in the DII tournament. The Saints were the No. 7 seed, while 10th-ranked Wayne State was the third seed in the region.
 
The Warriors grabbed a 1-0 on a solo homer by Lyndsey Butler on a ball that bounced on the top of the fence in center before falling over for the run. WSU tacked on four unearned runs to grab the early momentum. Wayne State stretched its lead to 7-0 before the Saints roared back with five runs in the bottom of the third. Bri Livingston tripled, and Kelsey Martin walked. Ashley Marks had an infield single that scored the first run for the Saints. Nikki Taylor singled to left and her hit scored Marks. Wendy Macias was issued an intentional walk before Alex Flasch reached on a WSU error to score another run. Krystal Rock lashed a single up the middle that scored Taylor and Macias as the Saints closed to 7-5.
 
The Warriors tacked on an addition run in the fourth for an 8-5 lead. The Saints had their best chance to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Rock hit a rocket up the middle but the ball was grabbed by WSU pitcher Lyndsay Butler who threw to third for the inning-ending double play. In the seventh, the Saints got a double from Courtney Ferguson and Taylor reached on an error to put runners on the corner and brought the tying run up to the plate. However, the Saints were thwarted and did not score.
 
In the decisive game, a pitcher's duel arose as Taylor and WSU starter Mackenzie Boehler dominated. The two starters combined to allow just five hits in the contest. Marks singled with one out in the first but that was the only hit for the Saints until the eighth. Taylor carried a no-hitter until there was one out in the sixth. WSU put two runners into scoring position in the third inning via an error and fielder's choice, but Taylor induced a grounder. In the fourth, Ferguson snared a hard shot up the middle and the Saints turned a double play to end another WSU threat. The Saints offense was held in check as Maryville could not put runners aboard.
 
The game moved to extra innings, and Livingston singled through the left side but she was stranded there to end the frame. In the bottom of the eighth, WSU got a leadoff single and put down a sac bunt to push pinch runner Megan Guitar to second. After an intentional walk, the Warriors loaded the bases on a fielder's choice throw that went wide at third. With one out, WSU's Jade McGarr lifted a sacrifice fly to left that was just deep enough to allow Guitar to beat the throw for the walk-off win in extra innings.
 
After two wins in the NCAA Tournament, the best season in Saints softball history ends with a final record of 39-16. Wayne State improves to 50-8 and advances to the Super Regionals.