WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sarah Cancila singled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to help the Saint Joseph's softball team to keep its season alive with a 4-3 win against Loyola Chicago in the Atlantic 10 Championship on Wednesday afternoon.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Hailey Malito had a pair of hits and drove in two runs.
• Kayla Tauber singled in her second at-bat to become the 28th player in St. Joe's history with 150 career hits.
• SJU pitching allowed just one earned run and struck out six in the game.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Loyola plated a run in the top of the third, but the Hawks wasted no time in getting the tally back in the bottom of the frame. Tauber led off the inning with a single, the 150th hit of her career. Cancila followed with a walk. Malito lifted the first pitch she saw over shortstop and it rolled all the way to the wall, bringing home both runners for a 2-1 SJU edge.
• The Ramblers challenged in the fifth, putting runners on second and third, but Jules Scogna was able to get LUC's top hitter to ground out to Sierra Fretz to turn aside the threat. The sixth inning was a different story as Loyola scored twice to take a 3-2 lead.
• With the season on the line, Saint Joseph's responded in the bottom of the frame. Jenna Currie walked in front of a Hailey Peterson single. Kasi Loser moved the runners up on a sac bunt. Tauber came up and delivered the Hawks' league-leading 19th sac fly of the season, scoring pinch-runner Morgan Lester to knot the game at 3-3.
• Next up, Cancila smacked a ball off the end of the bat through the infield, plating Peterson for a 4-3 St. Joe's lead.
• Taylor Trowbridge (11-12) got the win in relief, retiring all four batters she faced. Scogna started and surrendered just one earned run and struck out five in 5.2 innings of work.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's advances to Thursday where they will play an elimination game scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The Hawks will face off against the lowest of the top four seeds that has a loss.