Posted March 29, 2006
By: Leonard Reich, Sports Information Director
Late Innings Hurt Crusaders
Thomas More (Ky.) 6, Capital 5 (9 inn.) [Box Score]
Capital 3, Thomas More 3 [Box Score]
(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.)--It ain't over till it's over.

Unfortunately that saying was very true for the Capital University softball team Wednesday as the Crusaders led both games heading into the bottom of the seventh inning before ending up with a loss and a tie at Thomas More (Ky.) College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

Capital is now 9-8-1 on the season, while Thomas More moves to 11-9-1.

Capital ran out to a 4-0 lead in game one heading into the bottom of the fifth when Thomas More put four runs to tie the game.  The Crusaders plated the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh on a RBI-groundout from Lindsey Shepherd (Phillipsburg/Northmont).  The Saints again came right back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game and send it to extra innings.  Thomas More got the win in the ninth with a fielders choice on a bases loaded play in the infield.

Mandy Sladoje (Lancaster/Lancaster) and Erin Willike (Newark/Licking Valley) each had a pair of hits and Jen Heidenreich (Xenia/Xenia) took the loss in relief.

In the nightcap, Thomas More took a 2-0 lead after one inning.  Capital got on the board in the fourth on Sladoje's second home run of the season, a solo shot, to make it 2-1.  Timely base running and a pair of Thomas More errors in the sixth allowed Capital to tie the game at 2-2, then the Crusaders took the lead in the top of the seventh on as Shepherd drove in a run.  The Saints got a sacrifice fly RBI in the seventh to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of the inning the game was called on account of darkness.

Capital plays at John Carroll University Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener.