President's Athletic Conference

Thomas More rebounds to win second-straight PAC title

5/6/2018 1:15:00 PM

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (pacathletics.org) – After being dealt a 4-1 loss by second-seeded Westminster College late Friday afternoon, top-seeded Thomas More College registered three-straight wins, including a 2-0 shutout of Westminster in Sunday’s winner-take-all game, to claim its second-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Softball Championship Tournament title.

This weekend’s four-team, double-elimination tournament was hosted by the Saints at Thomas More Field. Inclement weather forced the tournament’s final game to be shifted from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning.

The conference championship was the seventh (2018, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2010, 2009, 2007) overall, and the fourth in the last six years, for Thomas More and 10th-year head coach Lindsay Eagan.

Following the conclusion of Sunday’s championship trophy presentation, Thomas More junior Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun) was recognized as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the second-straight year. She finished the championship tournament with a 4-1 mark in the circle to go along with a 0.93 earned-run average. DeDreu totaled 27 strikeouts and allowed 23 hits and six walks over her 30.2 combined innings of work. At the plate she hit .389 (7-for-18) with a pair of doubles, seven RBIs and four runs scored. 

As the PAC Championship Tournament winner, Thomas More has secured the league's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, with regional preliminary round play scheduled to begin Thursday-Sunday, May 10-13. Teams and regional site selections for the Division III Championship will be announced at 1 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, May 7 and streamed on ncaa.com.
 

2018 PAC Softball All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player: Thomas More junior Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun)
Pos.	Name	Yr.	School	Hometown | High School
P	Sam Binkley	Sr.	Bethany	Kenilworth, Ontario, Canada | St. James
P	Riley Assalone	Fr.	Saint Vincent	Falls Creek, Pa. | DuBois Central Catholic
OF	Shae Robson	Fr.	Saint Vincent	Tarentum, Pa. | Deer Lakes
P	Alix DeDreu	Jr.	Thomas More	Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun
1B	Andrea Gahan	So.	Thomas More	Cincinnati, Ohio | Oak Hills
SS	Dallis Knotts	Sr.	Thomas More	Florence, Ky. | Boone County
OF	Amanda Lloyd	So.	Thomas More	Alexandria, Ky. | Bishop Brossart
C	Courtney Cohen	Sr.	Westminster	New Wilmington, Pa. | Wilmington
SS	Kailey Liverman	Jr.	Westminster	Purcellville, Va. | Loudoun Valley
P	Jazmyn Rohrer	Sr.	Westminster	Purcellville, Va. | Woodgrove

 

Sunday, May 6 | Game G

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(2) Westminster at (1) Thomas More

Thomas More 2, Westminster 0 Box score

Thomas More junior righty Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun) saved her best for last, throwing a three-hit shutout in Sunday’s title-clinching victory. She fanned seven in the win while walking a pair. DeDreu also delivered what would prove to the game-winning runs, roping a one-out, two-run double to left center in the bottom of the third. After back-to-back singles to lead off the inning by senior second baseman Sammy Sagers (Cincinnati, Ohio | Oak Hills) and senior outfielder Laura Finke (Fort Wright, Ky. | Notre Dame Academy), senior shortstop Dallis Knotts (Florence, Ky. | Boone County) moved the pair along with a sacrifice bunt. DeDreu followed with her two-run double. Finke went 2-for-3 in the game with a run scored. Westminster senior righty Jazmyn Rohrer (Purcellville, Va. | Woodgrove) worked the full 7.0 innings, allowing two runs (2 earned) on six hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.

 

Saturday, May 5 | Game F

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(2) Westminster at (1) Thomas More

Thomas More 7, Westminster 2 Box score

After playing through two scoreless innings, Westminster junior shortstop Kailey Liverman (Purcellville, Va. | Loudoun Valley) belted a two-run home run to left in the top of the third to stake the Titans to a 2-0 lead. After doubling to center, Thomas More senior second baseman Sammy Sagers (Cincinnati, Ohio | Oak Hills) scored on junior righty Alix DeDreu’s (Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun) fielder’s choice later in the inning for the Saints first run of the game. Sophomore outfielder Amanda Lloyd (Alexandria, Ky. | Bishop Brossart) shot a two-out, two-run double to left to give Thomas More the 4-2 lead. Thomas More proceeded to use the long ball to extend its lead. Senior catcher Bree Appel (Amelia, Ohio | Batavia) led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to push the Saints lead to 5-2 before sophomore first baseman Andrea Gahan (Cincinnati, Ohio | Oak Hills) crushed a two-out, three-run home run to center to push Thomas More’s lead to 7-2. DeDreu picked up the victory in relief of the starter, senior righty Dallis Knotts (Florence, Ky. | Boone County), who gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits with three strikeouts in 2.1 innings. DeDreu worked the final 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and a walk while fanning four.

 

Saturday, May 5 | Game E

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(3) Saint Vincent at (1) Thomas More

Thomas More 6, Saint Vincent 1 Box score

Top-seeded Thomas More came out swinging in Saturday’s opener, with sophomore first baseman Andrea Gahan (Cincinnati, Ohio | Oak Hills) and sophomore designated player Amanda Lloyd (Alexandria, Ky. | Bishop Brossart) each roping run-scoring singles in the bottom of the first to give the Saints a 2-0 lead. Thomas More orchestrated a two-out double steal later in the frame, with Lloyd swiping second and Gahan stealing home to give homestanding Thomas More a 3-0 advantage. Senior shortstop Dallis Knotts (Florence, Ky. | Boone County) and Gahan had one-out, RBI doubles in the second to extend the Saints’ lead to 5-0. Junior righty Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun) gave Thomas More a 6-0 lead in the fifth with a run-scoring single. Saint Vincent sophomore catcher Morgan Rittenhouse (Medina, Ohio | Medina) had a two-out, RBI single in the top of the fifth to cut the Saints’ lead to 6-1, but was thrown out trying to advance to second. DeDreu worked a full 7.0 innings in the win, allowing one run (earned) on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Gahan headlined three Thomas More players with two hits in the game, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a run scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases.

 

Friday, May 4 | Game D

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(2) Westminster at (1) Thomas More

Westminster 4, Thomas More 1 Box score

Even a one hour, 20 minute weather delay couldn’t slow down Westminster senior righty Jazmyn Rohrer (Purcellville, Va. | Woodgrove) in Friday’s win over Thomas More, which locked up a spot in Saturday’s title round for the Titans. Rohrer allowed just one run (earned) on six hits with a walk and a personal PAC Championship Tournament-best 13 strikeouts. Rohrer also became Westminster’s career strikeouts leader (533) in the win. Tied 1-1 after five innings, the teams were forced to leave the field due to an extended weather delay. After resuming action and playing through a scoreless sixth, junior shortstop Kailey Liverman (Purcellville, Va. | Loudoun Valley) delivered a one-out, RBI single to left field to give the Titans a 2-1 lead. Senior outfielder Courtney Cohen (New Wilmington, Pa. | Wilmington) blasted a two-out, two-run home run to deep left center to push Westminster’s to 4-1. The home run was Cohen’s first of the season. Sophomore first baseman Andrea Gahan (Cincinnati, Ohio | Oak Hills) finished 2-for-2 for Thomas More with a triple, RBI, walk and a stolen base.

 

Friday, May 4 | Game C

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(4) Bethany vs. (3) Saint Vincent

Saint Vincent 3, Bethany 1 Box score

Scoreless midway through the fourth inning, Saint Vincent freshman outfielder Shae Robson (Tarentum, Pa. | Deer Lakes) drilled a two-out, RBI single to center field to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. Saint Vincent plated two more runs in the fifth when senior first baseman Shelby Noel’s (Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe) RBI double down the left field line was followed up by a run-scoring single off of the bat of freshman shortstop Lauren Miller (Glenshaw, Pa. | Shaler Area). Junior outfielder Fran Capaldi (Steubenville, Ohio | Catholic Central) smacked a two-out RBI single to right in the top of the seventh for Bethany, but that was as close as the Bison would get. Freshman righty Riley Assalone (Falls Creek, Pa. | Dubois Central Catholic) was great for Saint Vincent in the circle, allowing one run (earned) on six hits with a pair of strikeouts and walk in a complete-game effort. After 31 seasons of leading the Bethany program, head coach Jan Forsty is retiring from coaching following the 2018 season. Forsty will continue to serve as a professor and chair of the physical education and sports studies department at Bethany.

 

Friday, May 4 | Game B

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(4) Bethany at (1) Thomas More

Thomas More 9, Bethany 1 (5 inn.) Box score

Friday afternoon’s meeting between Thomas More and Bethany was the first championship tournament matchup between the two schools since 2015, when then second-seeded Thomas More notched a 2-1 title-clinching victory over then top-seeded Bethany at Bison Field in Bethany, West Virginia. Junior righty Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind. | Rising Sun) was terrific once again for the Saints. She went 5.0 innings in the circle, allowing one unearned run on four hits with five strikeouts. DeDreu also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Leading 1-0 midway through the fourth, Thomas More scored five runs on five hits in the bottom of the frame to take a 6-0 lead heading into the fifth. After senior outfielder Jazz Fuqua’s (Washington, Pa. | Trinity) run-scoring bunt single got the Bison on the board in the top of the inning, DeDreu followed up senior shortstop Dallis Knotts’ (Florence, Ky. | Boone County) sacrifice fly with a two-run double to invoke the eight-run rule. Knotts went 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Fuqua was 2-for-2 with a RBI in the loss.

 

Friday, May 4 | Game A

Crestview Hills, Ky.

(3) Saint Vincent vs. (2) Westminster

Westminster 3, Saint Vincent 0 Box score

Westminster earned its second-straight opening round victory over Saint Vincent on Friday morning to remain in the thick of things within the winner’s bracket. Westminster senior righty Jazmyn Rohrer (Purcellville, Va. | Woodgrove) posted a complete game shutout in the circle. She allowed four hits, struck out nine and did not walk a batter. After poking a two-out double to left field in the bottom of the third, senior catcher Addie Dieterich (Purcellville, Va. | Loudoun Valley) scored on a RBI single by senior second baseman Alexa Owrey (New Castle, Pa. | Shenango) to give the Titans a 1-0 lead. Senior outfielder Nikki Anderson (Oakmont, Pa. | Riverview) blasted a two-out, two run home run to right field in the fourth to push Westminster’s lead to 3-0. Saint Vincent senior designated player Emily Duerr (Pittsburgh, Pa.| Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and senior first baseman Shelby Noel (Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe) each went 2-for-3 in the loss.