RENSSELAER, Ind. -- The Lady Miners were one out away from a doubleheader sweep to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play Saturday, but a sudden rally by Saint Joseph's led to a marathon nightcap that ended up in a split when the Pumas ended up winning game two.
UMR won the opener 3-0 behind a four-hit shutout by Jen O'Hara, but Saint Joseph's took the second contest by a count of 9-8 in 15 innings.
Emily Tucker drove in two of the three runs for UMR in game one, starting with her RBI single in the third inning to score Kandi Wieberg to open the scoring.
UMR extended its lead in the fifth when Kelsey Musselman delivered a two-out double to score Ashley Winter, then Tucker hit a two-out homer in the seventh to add an insurance tally.
Saint Joseph's had opportunities in the fourth and fifth innings as it loaded the bases in both frames, but O'Hara induced a ground out to get out of the fourth and got a strikeout and fly out to escape a one-out jam in the following inning.
Tucker and Musselman had two hits apiece for UMR, which had seven hits in game one.
The Lady Miners spotted the Pumas a run in the first inning of game two, but got two in the top of the third when Wieberg opened the inning with a home run and Rachel Wilkinson drove home a run with a ground out. UMR extended the lead to 3-1 in the fourth when Winter drove in Becky Davis with a hit, but missed a chance for more when it left the bases loaded.
Saint Joseph's scored four times in the fifth to regain the lead, with Stephanie Kickels' bases clearing double putting it on top. However, the Lady Miners answered by scoring three in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead.
UMR loaded the bases with two outs, then a passed ball brought home Musselman with the first run of the inning. Lauren Feltmann followed with a two-run single to give UMR the lead again.
The Lady Miners added two more in the seventh when an error allowed Allison Plummer to score and Wilkinson doubled home another run.
O'Hara entered the game to pitch in the bottom of the seventh after Ashley Wallingford got UMR through the first six and got the first two batters out. However, following a single by Kickels and a double by Nicole Fetla, Ashley Reed belted a three-run homer -- her only hit of the afternoon -- to tie the game at eight and send it to extra innings.
UMR did not get a runner on base in extra innings against Sara Somogyi until Winter reached on a two-out single in the 12th. Somogyi fanned 16 batters in eight innings of relief and counting her start in the first game, finished with 29 strikeouts in the doubleheader.
The Lady Miners did have a chance in the 14th, as Coley Naughton reached on an error to start the inning and Plummer walked with one out, but that was as close as UMR would get to scoring in extra innings.
Saint Joseph's won the game in the bottom of the 15th on a two-out double by Michelle Hammons that scored Fetla, who had doubled with one out.
UMR had 17 hits in the game, five coming from Wieberg to tie a UMR single-game record and three apiece from Winter and Davis.
UMR (10-5, 1-1 GLVC) will play a doubleheader at Indianapolis Sunday starting at 11 a.m. (Central time).
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