St. Edward's freshman Stacey Giles has temporarily saved the hilltoppers from elimination with the hit of a lifetime. Emporia State led 1-0 as the top of the seventh inning began. The first two topper batters battled pitcher Samantha Sheeley, who looked unbeatable. They both fell after fouling away pitch after pitch to keep the count alive. Giles came to the plate with two outs and no one on base and began her at-bat in a similar manner, fouling away multiple pitches to find herself in a 1-2 count.

With the St. Edward's crowd begging for a hit, Giles gave them something even better: a solo homerun to left field. We are now in the bottom of the eight with the game tied at 1-1. Now that the park has seen the unthinkable occur, the crowds have gotten into the game. The noise level has created an emotional environment in this final day of the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.