ST. LOUIS -- No. 1 Loyola Chicago fell in a 7-4 heartbreaker to No. 4 Fordham in the Atlantic 10 Championship on Saturday, May 9, ending the Ramblers 2026 season at 28-24 overall. Four Ramblers earned All-Championship Team honors: Freshman pitcher Anna Kiel, senior outfielder Sierra Sass, redshirt sophomore infielder Liz Sedakis and sophomore outfielder Averi Vander Woude.
Kiel started and took the loss in the circle, finishing her rookie season 12-8. The left-hander went seven innings, giving up seven runs, three earned, allowing no walks and matching her season-high out six strikeouts. Vander Woude led the Ramblers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
How It Happened
The Ramblers were trailing 1-0 in the third inning then got on the board thanks to Vander Woude's RBI double with one out. Loyola picked up another run after Kiel's leadoff home run, putting the Ramblers ahead 2-1. Fordham came back around with a three-run fifth-inning, taking the advantage 4-2 before Loyola scored twice off the bat of junior infielder Nat Lesnicki and sophomore shortstop Alli Pawlowicz to level the ballgame once more. The Rams rallied for three more runs over the last two innings to break the tie and secure the 7-4 win.
Inside the Box Score
- The Ramblers out-hit the Rams at an 11-7 clip.
- Kiel limited Fordham to just 1-for-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
- Four Ramblers had multi-hit games: Vander Woude (3), Sass (2), Lesnicki (2) and Pawlowicz (2).
Loyola wraps a historic season with its first-ever A-10 10 Regular Season championship, fourth straight A-10 Tournament appearance (second in the championship), third 20+ win season in head coach
Alicia Abbott's 7-season tenure and matching a program-best 18 conference wins.
