SALEM, Va. — Salisbury’s season came down to one bounce. A wild pitch by sophomore Lacey Lister ricocheted off the backstop and down the first base line just enough for Leah Holmes to score the deciding run as Moravian knocked off the Sea Gulls 1-0 in Monday’s semifinal contest at the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship.
The game went an inning and a half before thunderstorms caused a three and a half hour delay for the second straight day.
Salisbury (41-8) followed 2003’s runner-up showing with a third-place showing in this year’s tournament, while the Greyhounds (40-5) advanced to face St. Thomas in Monday night’s championship tilt.
Lister’s opposition, fellow sophomore Meagan Hennessy, allowed just one runner to reach third base as she picked up the win with a complete game, four-hit shutout. Lister allowed just one run and six hits in seven innings to suffer the loss.
Both Lister and Hennessy kept the opposing offenses in check until the sixth when Leah Holmes, who was just 2-for-11 entering the contest, collected her second hit of the game, a double, and crossed the plate with the deciding run on the Lister wild pitch.
The Sea Gulls threatened in the home half of the inning, but a runner’s interference call took away the opportunity for Salisbury to have the tying run just 60 feet away.