April 29, 2007

Box Score

CHICAGO - Nora Schober had a pair of hits and Amy Solava pitched five scoreless innings of relief to lead Loyola University Chicago (18-16, 13-3 Horizon) to a 3-1 victory over Butler (22-19, 7-5 Horizon) this afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game weekend series at Loyola Softball Park. By earning the win, the Ramblers maintained their grip on first place in the Horizon League standings heading into the final week of the regular season.

After honoring its three seniors in a pre-game ceremony, Loyola found itself playing catch-up right from the get-go. Bridget Paine's RBI single in the top of the first gave Butler a short-lived 1-0 lead. The Ramblers grabbed the momentum right back in the bottom half of the inning however and tied the game on Kristen Medrud's RBI infield single.

Nora Schober and Krista Crosson started the second inning with consecutive singles and after a double steal, Schober scored when the throw from catcher Melissa Shofroth glanced off of her helmet and into the Butler dugout to give Loyola a 2-1 lead. The Ramblers added another run on Ellen Kresl's suicide squeeze later in the inning, to stretch the advantage to 3-1.

Butler had two scoring chances from that point forward but came up empty each time. After loading the bases in the fourth inning, the Bulldogs were unable to push a run across as Solava struck out Lindsay Schluge, then got Joanna Zumbrun to hit into a fielder's choice groundout to end the threat. In the seventh, Butler put runners at second and third with one, but Solava again escaped trouble, this time inducing back-to-back groundouts to third baseman Angie Funston.

Schober went 2 for 2 on the day, while Solava scattered five hits and struck out six in five scoreless innings of relief en route to her 10th win of the season.

Loyola hosts Notre Dame in a single contest on May 1 at 4:30 p.m.