Saint Vincent wins PAC softball championship

Saint Vincent made the most of an opportunity to host the PAC softball playoffs. The Bearcats won the championship Friday in Latrobe.

During a grind of a morning and afternoon, SVC won three games to claim the title and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

It was the team’s second PAC title, the last coming in 2016.

Freshman Celia Knappenberger was named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. She went 3-1 in five appearances with 10 strikeouts and a save across 30 innings, 16 of them scoreless.

She shut out Westminster in the first game, 4-0, to propel the Bearcats into the championship round. She followed with six scoreless innings as SVC shut out Thiel, 7-0, to force a deciding game.

Facing Thiel again less than an hour later, SVC rallied to pick up a 7-4 win.

Sophomore Alona Sleith (Yough) and freshman Kelsey Tobin (Hempfield) drove in runs in the first game.

Tobin doubled and scored on a wild pitch in Game 2, while sophomore Shae Robson (Deer Lakes) had a two-run triple. Robson added a two-run double to make it 5-0.

In the final game, sophomore Johnna Karas (Norwin) drove in a run to make it 3-2. Tobin ripped a two-run single to put the Bearcats ahead 5-4.

Karas later singled in Tobin for a 7-4 advantage.

The time, date and location of the Bearcats’ first-round game in the NCAA Tournament has not been announced.

Champions! pic.twitter.com/S1tBHbRdw0

— SVC_Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) May 3, 2019

Congrats to the @SVC_Bearcats on winning this year’s PAC Softball Championship Tournament, in comeback style!#d3softball #pacsoftball pic.twitter.com/NrBv3TanAW

— Presidents’ Athletic Conference (@PAC_Athletics) May 3, 2019

pic.twitter.com/V5nw0pvAcZ

— SVC_Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) May 4, 2019

Four Bearcats were named to the All-Tournament Team after SVC captured the @PAC_Athletics championship pic.twitter.com/gMnybELj8n

— SVC_Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) May 4, 2019