DUBOIS, Pa. – The 7-seeded D'Youville University softball team needed extra innings and a 2-run walk-off home run by Hannah Bardeen to defeat 10-seeded Carlow University in the opening round of the United Small Colleges Athletic Association National Championship on Monday afternoon.

The Saints held a 7-4 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth against 2-seeded PSU-Brandywine but the Lions scored four in the frame to earn the 8-7 comeback win and drop D'Youville to the loser's bracket.

Game One: DYU 9, CAR 7 F/8

• Back-to-back 2-out doubles by Laura Beck and Lauren Booth got DYU on the board in the first, 1-0.
• Another pair of doubles to start the second, this time by Ava Miller and Emily Przybysz, bumped the edge to 2-0.
• The Saints weren't done in the frame as hits by Jamie Bower, Bardeen and Bryanna Dewey added two more runs to push the advantage to 4-0.
• CAR responded with three straight hits to begin the fourth before cashing in two runs on a pair of RBI groundouts, DYU 4-2.
• The Celtics scratched across one more on an RBI single to trim the margin to one, 4-3, after 3 ½.
• A pair of DYU errors and a walk allowed CAR to tie the game in the fifth after an RBI single to center before another base knock gave the Celtics a 5-4 lead.
• This time the Saints took advantage of some Celtis' miscues in the sixth as an error and a pair of walks loaded the bases with no outs.
• CAR almost got out of the inning unscathed after a home-to-first double play but Bardeen's single through the left side plated Ally Beardi before Przybysz came across on another Celtics' error to put DYU back ahead 6-5.
• A one-out hit by pitch put the tying run on first and was followed by an RBI double to left to knot the game at 6-6.
• The Saints went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to send the game to extras.
• CAR recaptured the lead with a 2-out single to center in the top of the eighth.
• Miller sacrificed Mikayla Bush to third to begin the bottom of the frame but it was followed by a Saints' strikeout.
• Bower stepped in next with two outs and delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 7-7.
• Bardeen followed with a walk-off 2-run home run to right as the Saints prevailed 9-7 in the back-and-forth affair.

Inside the Numbers:

• Booth: (ND) 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, K
• Parzych: W (10-9) 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, BB, K
• Bardeen: 4-5, HR (10), 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 R
• Bower: 2-4, RBI, R, SB

The Saints moved on to the winner's bracket to play 2-seeded Penn State Brandywine at 6 pm.

Game Two: PSU- Brandywine 8, DYU 7

• DYU struck first with two in the top of the opening frame as Bardeen was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a Dewey base knock. Booth's single brought home Dewey to make it 2-0 DYU.
• Brandywine got one back in the bottom of the inning after a pair of two-out hits plated one.
• A leadoff double helped PSU tie the game at 2-all after two innings of play.
• DYU responded in the third with singles by Dewey and Beck to begin the frame. Booth followed by moving them each up a station with a fly out to right before Bush's single up the middle put the Saints back ahead, 3-2.
• Two batters later, Przybysz's infield single to third scored Dewey to double up Brandywine 4-2.
• PSU got those runs right back in the bottom half with a pair of doubles to knot the game at 4-4.
• This time the Saints answered right away with five straight singles, plating two runs in the fourth, to retake the lead 6-4.
• Dewey led off the sixth with a triple to left center and later scored on a wild pitch to add a DYU insurance run, 7-4.
• PSU begin the bottom half with a double before a single and a stolen base put runners at second and third with one out.
• The next three Brandywine batters singled to bring home four as PSU went back ahead, 8-7.
• The Saints went down in order in the seventh to fall 8-7.

Inside the Numbers:

• Parzych: L (10-10) 5 1/3 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 7 ER,  2 BB, 5 Ks
• Dewey: 4-4, 3B, 4 R, 2 SBs
• Beck: 2-4, RBI, R
• Booth: 2-4, 2 RBIs
• Bush: 2-4, RBI

The Saints drop down to the loser's bracket and face elimination on Tuesday, May 16^th at 6 pm when they face the winner of #5 Penn St Mont Alto and #8 Penn State Schuylkill who play at 10 am.