ST. LOUIS -- No. 1 seed Loyola Chicago avoided elimination after defeating No. 5 Saint Joseph's 6-2 in game eight of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday, May 8 at Billiken Sports Center. The Ramblers are championship bound for the first time since 2023 after rallying back to defeat the No. 3 Dayton Flyers 8-7 after sophomore infielder Kayci Rigby hit a walk-off home run.
A-10 Rookie of the Year Anna Kiel (12-7) started in the circle for both games and secured the wins for Loyola. The southpaw pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits, allowing no walks and striking out two against Saint Joseph's then pitched two shutout innings against Dayton, giving up two hits and striking out three. Junior utility Maddy Hickey also made an impact inside the circle, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings vs. the Flyers.
Game One: #1 Loyola Chicago 6, #5 Saint Joseph's 2
The Ramblers got on the scoreboard first, starting in the second inning as redshirt sophomore Liz Sedakis came across to score on sophomore Alli Pawlowicz's sacrifice fly. Kiel hit a bases-clearing double to bring Loyola's lead to 4-0. The Ramblers' defense held the Hawks without a run before extending their lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning; sophomore Averi Vander Woude's run-scoring single highlighted a two-run output in the frame. Saint Joseph's scored two runs before the game was over, but Loyola coasted to a 6-2 win.
Game Two: #1 Loyola Chicago 8, #3 Dayton 7
Loyola was trailing 7-0 in the fifth frame when they put five runs on the board thanks to six walks from Dayton's pitching staff. The Ramblers kept the deficit at 7-5 before tying it at 7 all, pushing two more runs across in the sixth. With the ballgame tied and a trip to the championship on the line heading into the seventh, Rigby stepped up to the plate and hit a leadoff home run to seal Loyola's fate, 8-7.
In the batter's box, Rigby led the Ramblers, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two walks and two RBI. Sophomore Averi Vander Woude put together a noteworthy effort as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI.
Inside the Box Scores
- The Ramblers out-hit the Hawks at a 7-4 clip.
- Loyola went 4-for-9 (.444) with runners in scoring position.
- Kiel led the Ramblers at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI.
- The Ramblers drew 11 walks from Dayton pitching.
- Rigby's home run was the first of her career.
Up Next
The Ramblers rematch the Fordham Rams in the championship game tomorrow, Saturday, May 9 at 12 p.m. Loyola must win the first game to force a winner's take all matchup later in the afternoon since Fordham is undefeated.
