St. 香港三级片 University softball coach Christy Connoyer has led the Billikens to their first NCAA tournament bid.
St. 香港三级片 University鈥檚 softball team beat Fordham twice Saturday to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament and secure the team鈥檚 first trip to the NCAA tournament.
Catcher Abby Mallo, the conference鈥檚 co-player of the year, drove in the game-winning run in the second game on a grounder to short with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning. Karsen Jany beat the throw home as SLU won 4-3.
Mallo drove in all four SLU runs and had six RBIs on the day. She hit a two-run homer in the first game, which the Billikens won 3-2 in eight innings, and had a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning of the second game.
The NCAA tournament bracket will be announced at 6 p.m. Sunday. SLU, the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament, is 34-22.
鈥淚t鈥檚 historic,鈥 SLU coach Christy Connoyer said on ESPN+ after the game. 鈥淭o come from behind and do what we did, first team ever to go to an NCAA regional, to hear your name announced nationally. I just told them that鈥檚 historic, it鈥檚 nothing you will ever forget when you hear your name announced for the first time. It鈥檚 incredible, and it鈥檚 all them.鈥
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Jany had her second game-winning hit in as many days in the first game with a double to drive in the winning run in Game 1. The day before, she hit a home run in the 10th inning to beat Dayton and send SLU to the championship game.
In Game 2, SLU took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on Mallo鈥檚 double, but SLU lost the lead in the top of the sixth and went into the seventh tied 3-3, where SLU used three singles to load the bases and set the table for Mallo.
SLU had lost its opening game in the tournament to third-seeded Fordham and had to come back to the final via the losers bracket, winning its final four games.
Sophomore Isabel Royle was the winning pitcher in both games. In the first game, she came on in relief of SLU ace Taylor Hochman in the eighth inning and retired the side before the Billikens won it in the bottom of the inning. She went the distance in the second game, striking out five and allowing eight hits with Hochman waiting in the bullpen.
From good luck charm to becoming the mascot for St. 香港三级片 University, this is the history of the Billiken.
