FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Two 2 Seeds Advance to Friday's Semifinal Round
A pair of No. 2 seeds advanced during Thursday's action as the 2018 Northeast-10 Conference Softball Championship continued earlier today at Adelphi. Here's how Pace and Southern New Hampshire advanced to Friday's Semifinal Round -
#2 SW Pace 3, #3 NE Merrimack 1
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – In a battle between two of the best pitchers in the league, sophomore Emma Bernet led Pace to a 3-1 win over Merrimack on Thursday in the NE10 Championship. The second-seeded Setters will now advance to take on one of the top seeds, No. 24 Saint Anselm, in the semifinals tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Pace enters Friday's game in the midst of a 10-game winning streak.
Bernet, who was recently named to the NE10 All-Conference First Team, scattered just three hits while allowing the one run in her 16th complete game of the season. She finished the day with three strikeouts. Bernet's ERA this season remains a remarkable 1.11 across 139.1 innings of action.
On the other side, Pace's offense was able to do just enough against the NE10's Pitcher of the Year, Megan Cook. The Setters, who mustered five hits of their own, put two runs on the board in the third and another in the fifth. Larissa Labs found the most success for the Setters, reaching base in all three of her at-bats. The NE10 second-teamer finished 2-for-2 on the day with two RBIs and a walk. She knocked an RBI single in the third, and an RBI double in the fifth.
Stephanie Wang drove in the Setters' other run with a sacrifice fly in the third. Senior Ashley Lew scored on the play after hitting a one-out single. Lew joined Labs in recording a 2-for-2 effort at the plate on Thursday. Merrimack's lone run was scored in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Hannah Johnson.
#2 NE Southern New Hampshire 6, #4 SW New Haven 2
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – SNHU junior Erin Garczynski was 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, while sophomore Jordan Wade added two hits and drove in a pair on Thursday, as the Penmen advanced to the 2018 NE10 Championship semifinals with a 6-2 win over New Haven. SNHU, the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Division, advance to Friday's first semifinal where they will face the Southwest Division's top seed and championship host, Adelphi, at noon.
After surrendering the game's first run on an RBI double in the top half of the first, Southern New Hampshire tacked on single runs in both the second and the third to take a one-run lead. Senior Sarah Lavallee led off the second with a triple to center before Wade delivered a two-out single to plate the tying. In the third, freshman Shay Sauvageau reached on an error to start the frame before being sacrificed over to second. Garczynski followed with a base hit to center and moved up to second on the throw, as the Chargers were able to execute the relay and cut down Sauvageau at the plate. The advancement proved pivotal, as Lavallee stroked a single to right center with two away that allowed Garczynski to scamper home with the go-ahead run.
The score remained unchanged into the fifth, when the Penmen pushed across a pair of runs to build a three-run cushion. Garczynski led off with an inside-the-park home run to right center to double the SNHU advantage before back-to-back walks to Lavallee and freshman Emily Critch left two on with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt off the bat of freshman Jackie Gavin moved both runners into scoring position, and two batters later, sophomore Maddy Barone aided her own cause with an RBI single to right center to knock in the fourth Penmen run.
The Chargers sliced into the Southern New Hampshire lead with a run in the top of the sixth, but the Penmen put the game out of reach with two in the home half of the stanza. Sauvageau worked a walk to start the rally before senior Brittany Perdigao legged out an infield single. Garczynski followed with an infield hit of her own, and two batters later, Critch drilled a base hit into left that plated Sauvageau and reestablished a three-run edge. Two batters later, Wade roped a single into left to knock in Perdigao and provide the final margin of victory.
Barone earned the win in the circle for Southern New Hampshire after going the distance and allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.
2018 NE10 Softball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 1st
First-Round
Game 1: #3 NE Merrimack 2, #4 NE Assumption 0
Game 2: #4 SW New Haven 5, #3 SW Le Moyne 2
Thursday, May 3rd, Friday, May 4th and Saturday, May 5th
Championship Weekend (to be hosted by Adelphi, #1 seed, Southwest Division)
Thursday, May 3rd
Game 3: #2 SW Pace 3, #3 NE Merrimack 1
Game 4: #2 NE Southern New Hampshire 6, #4 SW New Haven 2
Friday, May 4th
Game 5: #2 NE Southern New Hampshire vs. #1 SW Adelphi | 12:00 PM
Game 6: #2 SW Pace vs. #1 NE Saint Anselm | 2:30 PM
Saturday, May 5th
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner | 12:00 PM
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staffs at Pace and Southern New Hampshire
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
