ST. LOUIS – Maryville softball won their final two regular-season games against Lewis University on Monday afternoon to clinch a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference softball tournament. Entering the day needing to win both games to stave off elimination, the Saints pulled out a 1-0 walk-off win in game one and a 3-1 victory in game two to earn the eighth seed.
 
Game one recap
Both pitchers started their games in a similar fashion in the first inning. Emersen Heron and Delaney Garden gave up two singles to lead it off and retired the next three batters to work out of their respective jams.
 
Neither team was able to scratch a run across as their aces matched each other pitch-for-pitch, stranding a combined 15 base runners through the first six innings.
 
Heron continued to mow down the Lewis lineup in the top of the seventh, recording a strikeout and allowing a hit before getting consecutive lineouts to bring her team up with a chance to walk it off.
 
With one out in the bottom half, Kylie Swinney ripped a double for her second hit of the game, followed soon after by infield singles from Callie Harrison and Taylor Shingler to bring up Taylor Duff with the bases loaded. Duff took a 2-2 offering from Garden and dropped in a single to left field to give the Saints a 1-0 walk-off win.
 
Winning Pitcher: Emersen Heron (10-9)
Losing Pitcher: Delaney Garden (11-10)
 
Batting Leaders
Taylor Duff: 2-for-4, RBI, Walk-off RBI-Single
Kylie Swinney: 2-for-3, 2B, GW run
Emersen Heron: 2-for-3, 2B
 
 
Game two recap
Maryville started the scoring in the second game with three runs in the first inning. Shingler led off the inning with a single and stole second. Swinney stepped up three batters later and brought her home with an RBI single to right field, followed soon after by an RBI single from Melanie Nelson. A third run scored when Nelson stole second and an errant throw from the catcher allowed Erin Sammelmann to cross home.
 
Now with a three-run lead before throwing a pitch, Olivia Jarvis tossed a shutout first inning to kick off 3.1 solid innings, allowing just one earned on three hits with a strikeout. After surrendering a one-out single in the fourth, the Saints called upon Reagan Smith.
 
Smith was locked in from the start of her relief outing. She got out of the fourth inning with two quick outs and went on to close out a 3-1 win over the Flyers with 3.2 shutout innings to give Maryville the eighth seed in the GLVC tournament.
 
Winning Pitcher: Reagan Smith (5-8)
Losing Pitcher: Sara Serena (3-4)
 
Batting Leaders
Kylie Swinney: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R
Melanie Nelson: 1-for-3, RBI
Taylor Shingler: 1-for-3, R, SB
 
Records:
Maryville: 17-24, 12-16 GLVC
Lewis: 24-26, 10-18 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints begin their quest for the GLVC Softball Championship on Thursday, May 5, in East Peoria, Ill. Maryville will face top-seed Southern Indiana at 12:30 p.m. at the EastSide Centre in the double-elimination tournament.