CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Fire battled to the final pitch but came up just short in extra innings. Southeastern University rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, but St. Thomas responded with two runs in the ninth to claim a 4-2 win and the 2025 Sun Conference Softball Championship.
Trailing 2-1 with two outs in the seventh, Kassidy Moore laced a double, and Nicole Wasserstrom followed with an RBI double on the very next pitch to tie the game. Both teams were retired in order in the eighth, but St. Thomas strung together three straight one-out singles in the ninth and tacked on a fourth hit two batters later to take a 4-2 lead.
Raylei McKinney reached on a wild-pitch strikeout to open the bottom of the ninth, but the Bobcats turned a double play and induced a fly out to end Southeastern's title hopes.
The defeat marks the second straight season St. Thomas (47-6) has edged Southeastern (40-9) for the Sun Conference crown. The Fire have now reached the conference championship game five years in a row, but have yet to win a tournament championship.
Offensively, SEU managed just three hits across nine innings. Moore doubled and scored, Wasserstrom delivered the game-tying RBI double, and Hailey Bradley added a single in the third inning. Lauren Sekinger brought in a run on a fielder's choice, and Chapel Cunningham scored after reaching on an error.
The title matchup was a pitchers' duel through the first three innings, with just three total hits between the teams. St. Thomas broke through in the fourth with a leadoff single followed by a two-run home run for a 2-0 lead.
Southeastern responded in the bottom of the inning when Cunningham reached on an error, and walks to Leah Gonzalez and McKinney loaded the bases. Sekinger's RBI groundout cut the deficit to 2-1.
From there, both teams' pitching and defense held firm until the dramatic finish in extra innings.
Despite the loss, SEU's season is expected to continue. The Fire anticipate receiving an at-large bid to the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round, which begins Monday, May 12. Opponent, location, and game time will be announced on Wednesday, May 7.
