BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - University of St. Francis scored runs in the first five innings and never trailed in posting a 6-1 win over No. 3 seed Robert Morris University in an elimination game Friday afternoon at the 2010 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. The Saints' season then ended with an 8-0 loss later in the afternoon to CCAC regular-season champion Olivet Nazarene.

The Saints (23-26) beat the Eagles (38-20) for the first time in five meetings this season and avenged a first-round, 4-3 loss to RMU just 24 hours earlier in the CCAC tourney.

The Saints scored one run in the top of the first on a suicide squeeze bunt by senior second baseman Beth Boezeman (Lincoln-Way East H.S./Frankfort, IL). A double by senior center fielder Kendel Behrens (Morris H.S./Morris, IL) drove home junior shortstop Caitlin Dolan (Lincoln-Way East H.S./Frankfort, IL) with the second run of the game in the top of the second.

Senior left fielder Maggie O'Shea (Wheeler H.S./Valparaiso, IN) made it 3-0 in the third with an RBI single and Boezeman pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fourth with a run-scoring double. USF catcher C.J. Rupsis (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) then followed Boezeman's hit with a home run over the right field fence but Rupsis was ruled out on an appeal when the plate umpire ruled that she jumped over and missed the plate during her celebration with her teammates.

Despite that lost run, USF had more than enough to post the victory. O'Shea got her second RBI of the game with a perfect squeeze bunt in the fifth for the Saints' final tally. RMU managed only one unearned tally in the bottom of the third inning on a run-scoring single by right fielder Kelly Peterson.

Junior righthander Kim Malacina (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) (12-8) got the win for the Saints in relief of starter Jackie Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL). Malacina worked the final 4.1 innings and allowed just four hits and no runs. She struck out two and walked one.

Olivet Nazarene (49-11) bounced back from a 10-6 upset loss to rival Saint Xavier and eliminated the Saints in a five-inning game that took just 56 minutes to play. The Tigers scored seven runs in the first two innings off three USF pitchers.

The Saints had only a first-inning single by junior right fielder Kaylee Shell (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) in the first four innings but finally threatened to score in the top of the fifth. Boezeman and freshman catcher Kaitlin Nolan (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) started the inning with singles. One out later junior shortstop Lauren Panek (Lemont H.S./Lemont, IL) loaded the bases with a single up the middle. The Tigers, though, preserved the shutout by turning a double play to end the game.

Olivet Nazarene will play Saint Xavier Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Should the Tigers win, it will force a title game at 4 p.m. An SXU win in either game will send the Cougars to the NAIA Championship Tournament later this month.