Mahwah, NJ: #1 Messiah College and #2 William Paterson earned 3-0 and 2-1 victories respectively today on day two of the 2009 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament held at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ. The two will face off tomorrow at 2:00pm battling for a spot in the championship game on Sunday.
In game one, senior pitcher Katie Pensiero (Stamford, CT) led her team to a 7-0 victory over the Dolphins of the College of Staten Island with a complete game, three-hit shutout, to improve to 8-2 overall on the year. Pensiero struck out three and walked three in the showing.
Eastern Connecticut put runs on the board in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Rachel Denny (East Haddam, CT) ripped a two-run homerun over the left field fence to take a 2-0 edge.
The Warriors recorded a five-run 6th inning, with runs from Kim Church (Farmington, CT), Kelly Finlay (Thomaston, CT), Alicia Mangiafico (Manchester, CT), Priscilla Alicea (Stratford, CT), and Nikki Mustin (Canterbury, CT). Church walked to lead off the inning and Alicea singled to centerfield driving in two. Denny drove in the final two runs of the inning, and the game, taking the 7-0 victory.
Denny and Findlay each went 2-3 with one run and four RBI, and one run respectively, while Mangiafico hit a perfect 1-1 with one run. Nicole Estrada (Brooklyn, NY), Joanna Tepedino (Staten Island, NY), and Michelle Ferraiuolo (Staten Island, NY) each recorded a hit for the Dolphins.
Ferraiuolo gets the loss wrapping up her season at 9-6. Ferraiuolo posted two strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched.
Eastern Connecticut advances in the tournament to tomorrow's match-up at noon with Rowan at noon.
Farmingdale State advances to tomorrow to face #4 Moravian after defeating Muhlenberg College, 4-1 in the second match-up of the day. Heather Buckshaw (Oakdale, NY) recorded her 16th win of the year pitching five innings with three strike outs, letting up five hits and the lone Muhlenberg run. Muhlenberg's Ashley Brewer (Somerset, NJ) gets the loss in four innings pitched, striking out six and walking three. Brewer wraps up the year at 9-10.
The Mules put a run on the board first in the 2nd inning after RiRi Ferrigno (Westville, NJ) led off with a double to center field and came home on a deep sac fly to right from Samantha Cristi (Colleyville, TX). The Rams matched the run in the bottom half of the inning when Nicole Farber (Oakdale, NY came home on an error in the infield. The game remained knotted until the 3rd inning when a run from Aubrey Walker (West Babylon, NY), who reached base on a fielder's choice, put the Rams up, 2-1.
Farmingdales' Kristina Cirillo (Brentwood, NY) and Kim Farraiolo (Staten Island, NY) each drove in insurance runs in the bottom half of the 5th inning, and after two runners left on by Muhlenberg in the 6th and 7th, the Rams walked away with the 4-1 victory.
Farber hit 2-3 with two runs scored while Cirillo finished the day hitting 2-3 with two RBI. Muhlenberg's Ferrigno went 3-3 with one run in the loss.
In the #1-#4 match-up with Messiah facing Moravian College, the Falcons of Messiah came out on top after a complete-game pitching performance, and a blast from Jessica Rhoads (Dillsburg, PA), led the team to a 3-0 victory. Rhoads struck out five and walked three, letting up only three hits in the game. Moravian left six runners on base helping Rhoads to the shutout.
Rhoads' homerun, with a full pitch count, came in the 4th inning with one out which opened the gates for two more runs to cross home plate in the same inning. Tiffany Stokes (Palmyra, PA) crossed the plate after pinch running for Lindsay Hall (Farifax, VA), who singled up the middle to reach first base, before Abby Bergakker (Grand Rapids, MI) added insurance on an Ashley Lehman (Lancaster, PA) infield single.
Rhoads recorded one-two-three 5th, 6th, and 7th innings advancing her team into tomorrow's match-up at 2:00pm with William Paterson. Rhoads hit 1-3 with one run and one RBI while Hall and Lehman posted the two other hits in the game.
Moravian's Maria DeBonis (Nazareth, PA) gets the loss in seven innings, letting up only three hits, falling to 14-8.
In the final game of the day, William Paterson's Jenna Vitale () blasted her 3rd home run of the year to lead the Pioneers to a 2-1 victory over the Profs of Rowan University. William Paterson advances to play the #1 seed Messiah College tomorrow at 2:00pm while Rowan faces elimination taking on Eastern Connecticut at noon.
It was a scoreless game until the 6th inning when Jenna Vitale (Kenilworth, NJ) ripped a two-run blast over the left field fence to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the 7th, with last at bats, Ashley Landi (Vineland, NJ) ripped a ball to right field, that was missed played, allowing Julie Leskanic (West Milford, NJ) to score, who was on first base after driving a single, to close the gap, 2-1. With two outs and Brit Evanick (West Milford, NJ) on third, pinch running for Landi, Casey Roselle (Sparta, NJ) hit a ball to deep center, caught by Christina Zippler (Blackwood, NJ), to close the game in William Paterson's favor, 2-1.
Michele Graham (Hawthorne, NJ) earns the win in the complete game, improving to 15-5 on the year. She struck out two and walked none, letting up only three hits. Amanda Singer (Monmouth Junction, NJ) gets the loss and falls to 14-6. She pitched the complete game posting seven strike outs and one walk, letting up three hits.
Vitale hit 1-3 with one run and two RBI while Leskanic posted one hit and one run for the Profs.
