NE10 Softball Championship Page
Top Four Seeds Earn Shutouts to Advance to Division Finals
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The No. 1 seed in the Southwest, Adelphi, needed extra innings but eventually outlasted Le Moyne 1-0 in a pitcher's duel, while No. 2 seed New Haven edged No. 6 seed AIC by the same margin.
In the Northeast Division, No. 3 Assumption had the game-tying run on second base in the seventh but No. 2 Franklin Pierce was able to get out of the jam and hold on for a 2-0 victory. Meanwhile in Manchester, top seed Saint Anselm also earned a shutout and the bats came alive for an 8-0 victory over Southern New Hampshire in six innings.
(1SW) Adelphi 1, (4SW) Le Moyne 0 (8 Inn) – Box Score
The contest remained silent until the seventh inning, when Kendall Winn stretched to grab a leadoff line drive that came off the bat of Jillian Dunn. That catch likely saved the game. Ally Muller subsequently gave up her first two hits of the game in back-to-back at-bats, but Muller -- with two outs and runners on second and third -- struck out Lindsey Dobbs to keep the Dolphins off the board.
Hannah Pineda pinch hit to start the eighth and worked a nine-pitch at bat that resulted in her reaching second on a two-base error by the Le Moyne right-fielder. Amanda Owens then laid down a sacrifice bunt that pushed Pineda to third. With the game on the line, Emily Whitman poked a sacrifice fly to deep center field that scored Pineda.
Muller was outstanding for the Panthers, striking out 11 while recording her 12th consecutive shutout and giving up two hits with no walks. Le Moyne's Laura Bennett impressed as well, allowing just three hits in 7.2 innings with no earned runs and a pair of strikeouts.
(2SW) New Haven 1, (6SW) AIC 0 – Box Score
Ellie Frederick raced home from second base on an error at second base to score the game's only run as the New Haven softball team defeated American International 1-0 in a pitcher's duel on Thursday.
The single run in the game for New Haven (27-5) came in the second inning while both teams stranded three runners aboard over the final five innings. The Chargers recorded a single hit in the contest while the Yellow Jackets had four. Earning the victory in the circle was junior Ava Fitzmaurice as she threw a complete game for her 20th victory of the season. The Greenville, N.Y. native surrendered four hits with a walk and struck out a game-high five batters.
For AIC, Isabella Erti took the loss, going 4.2 innings and giving up one hit and one unearned run while walking four and striking out one. Alexis Jimenez tossed 1.1 innings of relief and didn't allow a hit as she struck out one batter.
(1NE) Saint Anselm 8, (4NE) Southern New Hampshire 0 – Box Score
NE10 Northeast Division Player of the Year Bre Klaiber provided some offense in the middle of the lineup and Pitcher of the Year Morgan Perry shut down Southern New Hampshire by only allowing one hit as the top seeded Hawks rolled to an 8-0 victory over the Penmen.
Lauren Washburn gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the first and they added another for the 2-0 advantage after one. Saint Anselm scored twice more in third for a 4-0 advantage. Kylie Fitzpatrick then made it a 6-0 game in the fourth with a double and the Hawks tacked on two more for the 8-0 final in six innings.
Klaiber finished 4-for-4 with two runs while Washburn as 2-for-4 with two RBI. Fitzpatrick scored three times and added a pair of hits as well. Perry improved to 15-0 by allowing just the single hit with seven strikeouts as she allowed one batter over the minimum.
(2NE) Franklin Pierce 7, (3NE) Assumption – Box Score
Franklin Pierce took a 2-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning, before the Greyhounds made one final charge to force extra innings. Each of the first two runners reached base and advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt. However, Cyrena Zemaitis struck out the next batter and then induced a fly out on a long at bat to seal the Ravens' trip to the Divisional Finals.
Zemaitis was dominant all afternoon, allowing just two hits over 7.0 innings with two walks and ten strikeouts. She got the only run support she would need in the bottom of the fourth inning as Ari Rodriguez doubled home Jess Rego and Jenna Murry followed with a run scoring single. Also impressive on the day for Franklin Pierce was Melissa Konopinski, who went 2-for-2.
Assumption's Mia Nowicki allowed five hits over her six innings of work and allowed three walks with four strikeouts while giving up two earned runs. Alyssa Beaton reached base twice, on a pair of walks.
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: #1NE Saint Anselm 8, #4NE SNHU 0
Game 5NE: #2NE Franklin Pierce, #3NE Assumption 0
Divisional Semifinals – Southwest
Game 4SW: #1SW Adelphi 1, #4SW Le Moyne 0 (8 inn)
Game 5SW: #2SW New Haven 1, #6SW AIC 0
Sunday-Monday, May 9th-10th
Divisional Finals (Best of three series) – Northeast
Sunday: #2NE Franklin Pierce at #1NE Saint Anselm - 12/2 PM
Monday: #2SW New Haven at #1SW Adelphi - 12/2 PM
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.
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