Watch the Entire NE10 Softball Championship Game Here | Saint Anselm Recap | Box Score
Saint Anselm Outlasts Adelphi in 10 Innings For First NE10 Title
MANCHESTER, N.H. – For the first time in program history, Saint Anselm won the Northeast 10 Conference Championship title, downing Adelphi by a 4-3 score in 10 innings on Saturday at the South Athletic Fields.
With the game tied heading into the bottom of the 10th inning, junior Maggie Murphy led off the inning with a double to deep right-center field. Sophomore Lauren Washburn followed up with a single to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Jordan O'Connor came up to the plate and faked a bunt, allowing Washburn to steal second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. O'Connor ripped a single to right center to score Murphy and Washburn, sending the Hawks to victory.
Junior Morgan Perry, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 NE10 Championship, finished the game with seven strikeouts and allowed three earned runs across a career-high 10 innings, while earning her 22nd win of the year.
The Hawks trailed twice in the ball game, tying the contest in the bottom of the seventh inning and rallying back from a run down in the home half of the 10th. A pitcher's duel throughout the first seven innings, it was Adelphi that struck first. A two-out walk to Ashley Lombardi put a runner on base for the Panthers. Lauren O'Neill, the number eight hitter in the lineup, delivered a two-run shot to right field to propel Adelphi into the lead, 2-0.
The Hawks would not go quietly in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Erin Thompson cut the lead in half with her second home run of the season, a solo blast, deep to right field. Sophomore Kat Stackrow drew a walk to follow Thompson, yielding at first base to freshman pinch runner Kate Irwin. A sacrifice bunt by sophomore Maddison Leite moved Irwin to second before a two-out single up the middle by junior Shannon Colson, another All-Championship team selection, knotted the game at two runs.
Adelphi regained the lead in the top of the 10th inning. Lombardi singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a fielding error. Advancing to third base following a sacrifice bunt by O'Neill, a two-out single by Nicoletta Cuccio gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead.
All-Championship Team
Morgan Perry, Saint Anselm - MVP
Jordan O'Connor, Saint Anselm
Shannon Colson, Saint Anselm
Ally Muller, Adelphi
Nicoletta Cuccio, Adelphi
Vanessa Strohm, New Haven
Kale Ah Soon, Pace
Adelphi, Saint Anselm Survive the Rain and Advance to NE10 Softball Title Game
1 NE Saint Anselm 5, #2 SW New Haven 1 - Saint Anselm Recap | Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – For the first time in program history, the Saint Anselm softball program advanced to the Northeast 10 Conference Championship game after defeating New Haven, 5-1, in the semifinals of the tournament on Friday afternoon. Junior Morgan Perry went the distance for the 18th time this year to pick up her 21st win, striking out eight batters and allowing just one run on two hits and a pair of walks.
The Hawks struck for a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning for an early 2-0 lead, thanks to a pair of errors by New Haven. The Chargres scored in the third, however, the Hawks turned a one-run game into a four-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Murphy reached on a fielder's choice, before sophomore Lauren Washburn advanced Murphy to third on a single to left field. Jordan O'Connor came up and sent a blast to left field for her first hit of the day to make it 5-1 in favor of the Hawks.
1 SW Adelphi 4, #4 SW Pace 0 - Adelphi Recap | Box Score
Manchester, N.H. - The Adelphi softball team shut out fourth-seeded Pace University, 4-0, in a semifinal matchup of Southwest Division teams on Friday afternoon to advance to the NE10 Championship game for the third consecutive season. Regular-season Southwest champions Adelphi (31-17) will attempt to make it a hat trick of league titles against the host Hawks (36-8) at noon on Saturday after Northeast Division champions Saint Anselm defeated New Haven, the Southwest's second seeds, 5-1 in the first semifinal on Friday.
The Panthers used a three-run third inning to help secure a fourth win in four meetings against the Setters this season, in a semifinal game that saw a nearly two-hour rain delay after the top of the fourth inning. Ally Muller worked in and out of trouble for much of the seven innings for her 10th shutout of the season and 20th overall win. The sophomore stranded 11 Setters on base in seven innings, scattering four hits and four walks while striking out eight.
New Haven and Pace Secure Second-Round Wins for Trip to NE10 Softball Semifinals
#2 SW New Haven 4, #3 NE Merrimack 3 - Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – It came down to a single pitch and there was no doubt about it as it left the bat as senior right fielder Vanessa Strohm went yard just left of center for the walk-off victory as the No. 2 SW New Haven softball team defeated No. 3 NE Merrimack to advance to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship semifinal.
In the circle, freshman Mia Iodice earned the victory, throwing 4.1 innings of relief to pick up her 10th victory of the season. Iodice surrendered a single run on five hits while striking out four batters, one in each of the full innings that she threw. Fellow classmate Ava Fitzmaurice started the game for New Haven, allowing a pair of runs off of six hits in 2.2 innings of work.
4 SW Pace 3, #2 NE Southern New Hampshire 1 - Box Score
Hooksett, N.H. – Facing a win or go home situation, the Pace softball team earned a 3-1 victory over Southern New Hampshire in the quarterfinals of the Northeast 10 Conference Tournament on Thursday. In similar fashion to Tuesday's first-round win in over Le Moyne, Pace was led by a dominant pitching outing from junior Emma Bernet. The right-hander allowed just two hits in her second straight complete-game gem.
Tied 1-1 with two outs and no one on in the seventh, the Setters found a way to rally. Junior Emma Schafer sparked things with a double to right before Arielle Acosta walked.With runners on first and second, Emma Carruth singled to right field to give Pace a 2-1 lead. Briana Ryan would then follow with another base hit, providing some insurance that a dominant Bernet would not need. In fact, Bernet retired the final 11 batters she faced.The Setters' first run of the game came in the third off an RBI single from Annie Carberry to score Carruth.
Merrimack and Pace Advance to Softball Championship Weekend
#3 NE Merrimack 5, #4 NE Assumption 3 - Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack softball program scored five unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday evening, capping off an incredible comeback and moving past Assumption 5-3 in the opening round of the Northeast 10 Conference Championship. After giving up three runs in the opening two innings of the contest, the Warriors trailed until the home half of the sixth inning, where a five-run frame lifted the team over the Greyhounds and into the NE10 Quarterfinal round.
4 SW Pace 4, #3 SW Le Moyne 1 - Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Led by a complete-game gem from Emma Bernet, the Pace University softball team registered a 4-1 win over Le Moyne in the NE10 Tournament First Round on Tuesday. Bernet was masterful in her 16th start of the season, allowing just the one run on three hits across seven innings of work. The Setters will now advance to Championship Weekend to be held at Saint Anselm College, beginning on Thursday afternoon.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 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.
