St. Francis (IL) News
Sun, May. 1, 2011 - [Softball]
Senior Kim Malacina pushed her record to 13-3 with a four-hiiter in the opening game win
Senior Kim Malacina pushed her record to 13-3 with a four-hiiter in the opening game win

WHITING, Ind. - Senior pitcher Kim Malacina (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) fired a four-hitter to lead University of St. Francis to a 2-1 victory in the opener as the Saints' softball team split their regular-season-ending Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Calumet College of St. Joseph on Sunday. The Saints won game one by a 2-1 score and dropped the nightcap, 5-2.

Malacina (13-3) carried a shutout into the seventh inning and then worked herself out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam to preserve the 2-1 victory. She stuck out five and walked none and scattered four hits in the seven-inning game.

The Saints scored both of their first-game runs in the top of the first inning on a two-run triple by freshman left fielder Natalie Ward (Marian Catholic H.S./Crete, IL). USF managed just four hits in the remaining six innings but Malacina's strong pitching effort was enough to get the Saints their 10th CCAC win.  

USF took a 2-0 lead in the second game but Calumet tallied three in the third and two more in the fourth to earn the split. The Saints scored both of their runs in the second inning on run-scoring singles by freshmen Nicole Norris (Plainfield North H.S./Plainfield, IL) and Susan Newton (Lemont H.S./Lemont, IL). Those two singles capped off a run of four straight hits by sophomore left fielder Kalli Tobias (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./Manhattan, IL), sophomore catcher Kaitlin Nolan (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL), Norris and Newton, with Tobias and Nolan scoring the runs.
 
Norris, Nolan and senior outfielder Kaylee Shell (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) each had a pair of hits to lead the 10-hit USF attack.

The split improved USF's overall record to 22-18 and put them at 10-8 in CCAC play. The Saints finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference along with Calumet and Robert Morris University. Those three teams all trail league tri-champions Saint Xavier University, Olivet Nazarene University and Judson University (14-4).

USF will begin play on Thursday morning in the CCAC Championship Tournament at Saint Xavier. The Saints' opening-round opponent will be determined after tiebreakers are applied to seed the six-team field.