NE10 Softball Championship Page
Five of Six Higher Seeds Advance to NE10 Divisional Semifinals
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The No. 6 seed in the Southwest Division, American International, fought back from down 2-0 to take its game with No. 3 seed Southern Connecticut to extra innings and secure the lone upset of the first round in the Northeast-10 Softball Championship.
Elsewhere in the Southwest Division, No. 2 New Haven broke open a tight game to secure a 7-1 victory over No. 7 Saint Rose while No. 5 Le Moyne used an excellent pitching performance to shut out No. 5 Pace 2-0.
In the Northeast Division, all three games were decided by a single run. No. 3 Assumption held off No. 6 Saint Michael's 1-0, while No. 4 Southern New Hampshire won by a 1-0 margin over No. 5 Bentley. No. 2 Franklin Pierce gave up six runs in the seventh but held on for the 7-6 victory over No. 7 Stonehill.
(6SW) American Int'l 3, (3SW) Southern Conn. 2 (8 Inn) – Box Score
AIC willed its way to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Southern Connecticut on Tuesday afternoon. Tied 2-2 in the eighth Victoria Andrade and senior first baseman Kacie Allison worked back-to-back one-out walks, and senior Olivia Ortega loaded the bases with a single to left. Berman hit a soft grounder to short, allowing Andrade to score the go-ahead run. SCSU threatened in the bottom of the eighth with a runner on, but Emily Lange came through by inducing a game-ending grounder.
The victory was AIC's first in the NE10 Tournament since 2010. Mackenzie Berman was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Riley Sullivan tossed 4.0 innings while allowing just two hits and zero runs with a single strikeout. Jacqueline Dumont was 2-for-3 with an RBI for SCSU, while Jayden Delaporta homered.
(2SW) New Haven 7, (7SW) Saint Rose 1 – Box Score
Junior second baseman Nahtali Simpson drilled a two-run blast to left center as part of a four-run fourth inning as the New Haven softball team defeated Saint Rose Tuesday afternoon, advancing to the Northeast-10 Southwest Division Semifinal round. The 7-1 victory over Saint Rose keeps New Haven undefeated against their divisional rival in five match-ups this season.
Overall, New Haven finished with nine hits and had the advantage of four walks at the plate with junior shortstop Mya Case leading the Blue and Gold, going 3-of-4 with an RBI. Simpson led the team with a pair of RBI, while the six remaining hits all came from difference players. Ava Fitzmaurice worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning and finished with the complete game victory, allowing three hits, zero earned runs while striking out four.
(4SW) Le Moyne 2, (5SW) Pace 0 – Box Score
Le Moyne took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and it proved to be the only run the Dolphins would need on their way to a 2-0 victory over Pace on Tuesday afternoon. Laura Bennett was dominant in the circle, allowed just three hits and striking out seven while facing just two batters over the minimum. Victoria Catalano provided the offense for Le Moyne, going 2-for-3 with one run.
Dominique Russo led off the first with a single and eventually came around to score on a Kailly LaForce groundout for the 1-0 lead. Pace put a runner on second in the second inning, but that would be as close as they got to scoring in the contest. In the bottom of the sixth Cassidy Barrett provided some insurance by doubling home Catalano for a 2-0 advantage.
(2NE) Franklin Pierce 7, (7NE) Stonehill 6 – Box Score
Franklin Pierce starting pitcher Cyrena Zemaitis hurled an immaculate second inning and classmate Gina Hinckley walloped her 10th homer of the campaign as the Ravens held off a furious seventh-inning rally to defeat Stonehill 7-6 on Tuesday afternoon. Zemaitis improved to 10-1, tossing six innings allowing no earned runs while scatting four hits and striking out 11 batters. It was the 15th double-digit strikeout effort of her collegiate career. Hinckley went 2-for-3 at the dish with the homer, three RBI, two runs scored, and a walk.
Stonehill didn't back down trailing 7-1 in the seventh. They loaded the bases with one out. Second baseman Courtney Brochu singled to short to make it a 7-2 contest. The next Skyhawk batter struck out but Theilgard dug into the box and lined grand slam to left putting her squad down one, 7-6. However, they couldn't get the tying run.
(3NE) Assumption 1, (6NE) Saint Michael's 0 – Box Score
Assumption scored in the bottom of the first inning and that was the only run the Greyhounds needed in a pitcher's duel on Tuesday. Jordan Dwyer led off the bottom of the fist with a single and advanced all the way to third on an errant throw. She then scored on a Brooke Murphy sacrifice play. St. Michael's put a runner on third in the fifth but didn't get past second again as Mia Nowicki shut them down to earn the win.
Nowicki gave up just two hits over her 7.0 innings of work with two walks and three strikeouts. Jackie Cherry look the loss despite allowing just four hits and one earned just with a single strikeout. The win is the first for the Greyhounds in the NE10 Tournament since 2016.
(4NE) Southern N.H. 1, (5NE) Bentley 0 – Box Score
Senior Chloe Griffin drove in the game's only run with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning and senior Olivia Strasser tossed the shutout as SNHU defeated Bentley 1-0 on Tuesday. Both teams threatened in the opening innings but couldn't push a run across, including Bentley throwing out Emily Carbonneau at home while trying to score from second. In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Bryn Garczynski led off with a single, and advanced to third as Alyssa Dimauro reached on an errant throw to first on her bunt. Griffin then singled to win the game.
Strasser went the distance, allowing seven hits, walking one and striking out two. She extended her personal scoreless streak against Bentley to 17 innings, beating the Falcons for the third time. Bentley starter Payton Doirin worked five scoreless innings before reliever Elisa Pereira entered for the final two. Griffin led the offense with two hits.
Tuesday, May 4th (Single Elimination)
Divisional First Round Games - Northeast
Game 1NE: #4NE SNHU 1, #5NE Bentley 0
Game 2NE: #3NE Assumption 1, #6NE Saint Michael's 0
Game 3NE: #2NE Franklin Pierce 7, #7NE Stonehill 6
Divisional First Round Games – Southwest
Game 1SW: #4SW Le Moyne 2, #5SW Pace 0
Game 2SW: #6SW AIC 3, #3SW Southern Connecticut 2 (8 inn)
Game 3SW: #2SW New Haven 7, #7SW Saint Rose 1
Thursday, May 6th (Single Elimination)
Divisional Semifinals – Northeast
Game 4NE: Game 4NE SNHU at #1NE Saint Anselm, 3 pm
Game 5NE: Game #3NE Assumption 1 at #2NE Franklin Pierce, 3 pm
Divisional Semifinals – Southwest
Game 4SW: Game #4SW Le Moyne at #1SW Adelphi, 3 pm
Game 5SW: Game #6SW AIC 3 at #2SW New Haven, 3 pm
Sunday-Monday, May 9th-10th
Divisional Finals (Best of three series) – Northeast
Sunday: Games 6NE & 7NE: Game 4NE Winner vs. Game 5NE Winner (at highest remaining seed)
Monday: Game 8NE (if necessary)
Divisional Finals (Best of three series) – Southwest
Sunday: Games 6SW & 7 SW: Game 4SW Winner vs. Game 5SW Winner (at highest remaining seed)
Monday: Game 8SW (if necessary)
Friday-Saturday May 14th-15th
Championship Final (Best of three series)
Friday: Games 1 & 2: NE Divisional Winner vs. SW Divisional Winner (at highest remaining seed)
Saturday: Game 3 (if necessary)
The highest Remaining Seed will host the Championship Final. However, if the two teams that advance to the Championship Final have the same divisional seed, the site of the final will be determined first by examining Divisional win percentage. The team with the higher win percentage in their division will host. If the teams are tied in win percentage, the team with the highest number of wins in their division will host. And finally, if the teams remain tied because they have equal number of wins, the Southwest Division has been predetermined to host.
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, 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 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, 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.
