SXU Continues Domination With SB Tourney Championship
CROWN POINT, Ind. — NAIA No. 25-ranked Saint Xavier University dominated during the regular season and the Cougars did the same in the 2022 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament outscoring the opposition 32-9 in the four-game sweep of the tournament field, including 21-3 on Monday. The Cougars defeated No. 3 seed University of St. Francis 9-3 to get to the championship round before defeating No. 2 Olivet Nazarene University 12-0 in the title game.
The Cougars (36-6) used a five-run fourth inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 6-1 lead in the first game before tacking on three more runs in the sixth inning. Morgan Haefling, Alexus Reese and Kelsey Kolecki all drove in a pair of runs for Saint Xavier.
In the nightcap, head coach Erin Mollohan-Corrao’s team put the contest out of reach after two innings with a four-run first inning followed by a five-run second. This time, Haefling drove in three runs courtesy of three hits, while Sarah Bowen and Brittany Schultz each provided a pair of RBIs.
Julianne Class (15-2) claimed complete-game victories in each end of the split twinbill. She struck out eight batters on the day, while permitting only three hits in the nightcap.
The conference tournament title was the second in a row for the Cougars.
Olivet Nazarene (33-13-1) earned the conference’s second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round by finishing as the tournament runner-up. The Tigers got there by defeating No. 5 seed Cardinal Stritch University 1-0 and St. Francis 9-0 earlier on Monday.
The complete tournament results follow:
Thursday, May 5, 2022
Game #1: No. 6 seed Indiana South Bend (21-23) vs. No. 3 seed St. Francis (25-13) — 9 am
Sunday, May 8, 2022
Game #2: No. 7 seed St. Ambrose 4, No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 2
Game #3: No. 4 seed Roosevelt 5, No. 5 seed Cardinal Stritch 1
Game #4: No. 1 seed Saint Xavier 6, No. 8 seed Calumet St. Joseph 2
Game #5: No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 10, No. 6 seed Indiana South Bend 1
Game #6: No. 5 seed Cardinal Stritch 5, No. 8 seed Calumet St. Joseph 1
Game #7: No. 3 seed St. Francis 4, No. 7 seed St. Ambrose 3
Game #8: No. 1 seed Saint Xavier 5, No. 4 seed Roosevelt 4
Game #9: No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 5, No. 4 seed Roosevelt 2
Game #10: No. 5 seed Cardinal Stritch 5, No. 7 seed St. Ambrose 3
Monday, May 9, 2022
Game #11: No. 1 seed Saint Xavier 9, No. 3 seed St. Francis 3
Game #12: No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 1, No. 5 seed Cardinal Stritch 0
Game #13: No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 9, No. 3 seed St. Francis 0
Game #14: No. 1 seed Saint Xavier 12, No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene 0 (Championship)