JOLIET - The University of St. Francis Fighting Saints went to the wire on Thursday just like Coach Gordie Gillespie's team had throughout the 2010 season. They never quit. They battled to the end, but this time, they came up just a little short.

Campbellsville University scored five times in the top of the 10^th inning and held off a bases-loaded rally by the Saints in the bottom of the inning to secure a 7-3 victory and eliminate the Saints from the 2010 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round tournament at Silver Cross Field on Thursday afternoon.

Campbellsville (42-21) scored first, going ahead 1-0 in the top of the first on a home run down the left field line by first baseman Brian Chase. That was the only run allowed by USF starting pitcher Bobby Markatos (Stagg H.S./Palos Hills, IL) in his three innings of work.

Freshman lefthander Ryne Gill (Waubonsie Valley H.S./Aurora, IL) relieved Markatos in the fourth and hurled three scoreless frames, allowing just one hit and facing the minimum nine hitters as Gillespie's "starter-by-committee" idea worked to near perfection.

USF battled back to knot the game at 1-1 in the fifth inning when sophomore right fielder Tom Whelan (St. Rita H.S./Chicago, IL) singled with one out, moved to second on a bunt by junior left fielder Tom Serruto (Glenbard West H.S./Glen Ellyn, IL) and came around to score on a base hit by senior second baseman Steve Witczak (St. Rita H.S./Chicago, IL).

Campbellsville greeted USF closer Corey Schultz (Kankakee H.S./Kankakee, IL) in the top of the seventh with a single by right fielder Logan Smith and a run-scoring double by catcher Richie Rowland. Schultz then settled down and blanked the Tigers through the ninth inning.

USF pushed a run across in the eighth to tie the game. Serruto started the frame with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by senior third baseman Andy Zurales (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL).

The Saints had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Junior designated hitter Brent Walters (Lisle H.S./Lisle, IL) laced a one-out double to center field and then advanced to third when Whelan hustled to first to beat the throw and reach on an infield hit with two outs. The threat ended when Serruto's chopper to the mound was fielded cleanly by Campbellsville reliever and eventual winning pitcher Alex Tolmachoff.

The Tigers rapped out six hits and scored five times off Schultz in the 10^th, with the big hit being a three-run pinch-hit home run by Steve Oiler. It was Oiler's first homer of the season and put the Tigers ahead to stay at 5-2.

USF was down to its final out with no one on base when Zurales started the Saints' last rally of the season with a base hit. A hit batter and a double by senior center fielder David Heasley (Crystal Lake Central H.S./Spring Grove, IL) scored one run and put runners at second and third. A walk to Walters loaded the bases and brought junior first baseman Shawn Hohenbery (Princeville H.S./Princeville, IL) to the plate representing the tying run. 

Campbellsville made its final pitching change, bringing Michael Caleb in from his shortstop position to face Hohenbery. Caleb got the job done, inducing a groundout which ended the game and ended USF's season.

The win pushed the Tigers into the championship round to face top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Cumberland (Tenn.), the tourney's lone remaining unbeaten team. Cumberland defeated Campbellsville, 6-4, in 10 innings on Wednesday. 

USF (36-16) finished 2-2 in the Opening Round after winning the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship for the second time in the last three seasons.