JOLIET, Ill. -- Sarah Viar's opposite-field walk-off 2-RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning made for a Good Friday for the University of St. Francis softball team in its 3-2 victory over Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Indiana University South Bend at the Harlow Lockwood Softball Fields.

Watch Viar's Game Winning Double

The Saints (23-8, 9-1 CCAC) collected two of their five total hits on the day in the decisive seventh inning to pick up the tenth win in their last eleven games with both hits coming after the Titans had recorded two outs.  Prior to that, IUSB starting pitcher Savannah Hamilton (4-10) had retired 21 of the previous 28 USF batters that she faced and had given up just three hits, two of which came after two outs and an IUSB fielding error in the third inning which allowed the Saints to score their only other run of the contest via a RBI-single off the bat of Kylie Cook.  Indiana South Bend (9-17, 5-6) had originally taken the lead at the top of the same inning on a leadoff homerun.

In the sixth inning, the Titans regained the lead at 2-1 with another solo homerun which ended a productive day for starting pitcher Emily Boyle, who had allowed just three hits while striking out four in her 5 2/3 innings pitched.  Kaitlyn Schofield would come on in relief to pitch the final 1 1/3 innings, with the junior retiring all but two batters she faced.

USF was able to respond again, this time in dramatic fashion, in the bottom of the seventh inning with Schofield starting the Saints' offensive rally by drawing a one-out walk.  After failing to move her to second in the next at-bat, the Titans were one strike away from claiming the victory before Missy Saldana connected for a two-out single to left center to push Schofield to third base.  Viar then ended the affair with her second double of the contest - the first of which she obtained in the first inning - with her opposite-field blast to the right center gap to plate both runs and secure the 3-2 walk-off win for the Saints.

Viar finished the contest going 2-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate.  Saldana also collected two hits while scoring both runs for USF, and Cook rounded out the Saints' offensive production with her third-inning RBI-single.

Schofield was credited with the win in the circle, upping her season record to 11-6.

Up Next
The two teams continue their three-game series on Monday, April 6 in Lakeville, Ind.  First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 2 pm CST.

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