The Saints, which scored five in the seventh Thursday for a 6-3 win over the Tigers, put together a three-run inning Friday evening to push past Campbellsville and advance to the loser's bracket final. St. Francis will now play Indiana Tech at 11 a.m. EDT Saturday for a chance to face Tennessee Wesleyan in the bracket's championship game at 2:30 p.m.

St. Francis took an early 2-0 lead off three hits in the second inning, but the Tigers chipped away through the middle third of the game.

A double by Steve Cservenyak and RBI single by Brad Porter gave the Saints their early runs as pitcher Jacob Butler threw two perfect innings on the mound.

Brandon Johnson put an end to the bid for perfection by reaching on an error to start the Tigers off in the bottom of the third. Trent Seamons followed with a bunt single to bust up Butler's no-hit bid. After striking out Aaron Schwoebel, Butler hit Tanner Nielsen but got a line out and strikeout to escape the bases loaded jam. 

The offense in the third was only the wakeup call for CU's bats. Craig Edwards singled to lead off a two-run second inning for the Tigers. After Michael Durham loaded the bases on a bunt single, Johnson hit a one-out sac fly to center to score Edwards and put CU on the board. Seamons followed with a single to score Levi McCamish to even the score 2-2 before Durham was called out at the plate.

Edwards delivered again in the fifth with a two-out double to give CU a 3-2 lead.

The Saints chipped away at the Tigers lead, answering Edwards' RBI with three hits in the top of the sixth, including an RBI single by Brandon Mendoza to even the score, 3-3.

The top of the seventh proved to be the difference, as David Schwabe delivered a two-out, RBI double to plate the eventual winning run. The double was the last at bat faced by Tiger starter Jacob Cook, who threw 6 1/3 innings, giving up four earned runs off nine hits and two walks. He struck out five.

St. Francis' inning continued though. Rusty Devitt took over in relief. He hit the first batter he faced before giving up two unearned runs on an error at third. He went on to retire seven of the next eight batters he faced, giving up a hit in the ninth.

Unfortunately, for the Tigers, CU was retired in order in the eighth and ninth after stranding runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh.

The loss concludes the Tigers' season at 37-18. Campbellsville is one of only 10 teams nationwide that have advanced to the NAIA Opening Round Touranment each of the four years since the new format was put in place in 2009.