Mahwah, NJ: Rookie pitcher Jessica Rhoads (Dillsburg, PA) led the #1 seeded Falcons of Messiah College to a 4-2 victory over William Paterson with a complete game pitch performance and a solo homerun, the game winner, this afternoon on day three of the 2009 NCAA Division III Softball Championship First Round Tournament.
In the first game of the day the #4 seeded Greyhounds of Moravian College were eliminated from the tournament falling 3-1 in eight innings to the Rams of the #6 seeded Farmingdale State. Hope Zino (Bay Shore, NY) pitched the complete game for the Rams, striking out two and walking none in her 16th win of the year. Moravian's Elizabeth Python (Huntington Station, NY) got the loss, falling to 7-2. Python struck out five and walked three in the six-hit eight inning appearance.
The Rams got on the scoreboard first in the top of the 3rd inning when Kaitlin Keenan (West Islip, NY) crossed home plate on an infield error to go up 1-0. Moravian answered back in the bottom of the 4th inning when two Farmingdale errors put Jenna Carmon (Flemington, NJ) at second base, and a single down the left field line from Deanna Mangieri (Pleasantville, NY) crossed Carmon to knot the score at one.
The game remained that way until the 8th inning when Aubrey Walker (West Babylon, NY) led off reaching on an error and with one out, moved to third on a single from Arielle Morelli (Bohemia, NY). Kristina Cirillo (Brentwood, NY) singled to left field to drive in what turned out to be the game winner, plus insurance as Walker and Morelli touched home.
Zino pitched a one-two-three bottom half of the inning to close out the game, 3-1.
Keenan went 2-3 with one run and Walker and Morelli posted one hit with one run each. Carmon scored the lone run for Moravian and Mangieri, Olivia Evanko (Nazareth, PA), Stephanie Falzarano (South Plainfield, NJ), Maura Agnew (Doylestown, PA), and Maria DeBonis (Nazareth, PA) each recorded a hit.
Moravian wraps up the 2009 season with 35 wins and 11 losses.
The #5 seeded Warriors of Eastern Connecticut were eliminated in game two of the day falling 3-1 to the Profs of Rowan University. Jackie Sasko (Groveville, NJ) earned the win for Rowan striking out one in four innings to improve to 20-5 on the year.
The Profs jumped ahead 1-0 in the 1st inning when a suicide squeeze scored Nicki Veneziano (Bloomfield, NJ) who walked to lead off the game. Veneziano moved to second base on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball before Ashley Minch (Pennsville, NJ) laid down the bunt. Rowan added a run in the top of the 4th when pinch hitter Jamie Parks (Brick, NJ) drove a single to left field to score Ashley Landi (Vineland, NJ). Landi drew a walk to reach first base. The team tacked on another run in the 6th inning when with two outs, back-to-back walks, drawn by Landi and Heidi Smith (Hainesport, NJ) put runners on first and second. Casey Roselle (Sparta, NJ) singled to the pitcher to load the bases and Kristina Brenner (Vineland, NJ) singled to second base to score Landi.
The Warriors made a threat in the bottom of the inning as Priscilla Alicea (Stratford, CT) doubled down the right field line with one out and Katie Dinihanian (Startford, CT) followed with a single to bring in Alicea. Amanda Singer (Monmouth Jct., NJ) forced two fly balls to left and right fields respectively to earn her third save of the year.
Singer pitched the final three innings holding Eastern Connecticut to the single run earning her first save of the season.
Alicia hit a perfect 3-3 with one run while Dinihanian hit 2-4 with one RBI for Eastern Connecticut. Brenner hit 1-3 with one RBI and Parks hit 1-1 with one RBI. Veneziano scored a run for the Profs while Landi tacked on two of her own.
Eastern Connecticut wraps up the 2009 season at 26-13 overall.
The #2 seeded Pioneers of William Paterson University lost their first game of the tournament to the #1 seeded Falcons of Messiah College today, 4-2. Messiah advances in the winner bracket and advances to the finals tomorrow at 2:00pm. Rhoads pitched the complete game striking out ten batters recording her 300th strike out this season. She let up three hits and walked three.
The Pioneers got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the 1st inning when Rhoads walked the first two batters, and recorded an intentional walk to the third batter to load the bases with no outs. A passed ball scored Meghan Reilly (Middlesex, NJ) from third before Nicole Jimmerson (North Bergen, NJ) ripped a single to left field driving in Christina Zippler (Blackwood, NJ) to go up, 2-0.
Two William Paterson errors in the 3rd inning with two hits from Messiah, knotted the game at two runs each. With Ashley Lehman (Lancaster, PA) at first base and two outs on the board, Rebekkah Funk (Carlisle. PA) reached on an error and Jaclyn Merkel (Linthicum, MD) followed with a single to drive in Lehman, closing the gap, 2-1. A second infield error allowed Funk to cross the plate tying the game at 2-2.
Rhoads drove a solo homerun in the 6th inning to give the Falcons a 3-2 edge, before a final run in the top of the 7th put Messiah up, 4-2. Lauren Seneca (Bethlehem, PA) led off the inning with a single to left and with two outs, Merkel ripped a single to left field bringing in Seneca for insurance. Rhoads shut down the Pioneers in the bottom of the inning getting her 22nd win of the year.
Michele Graham (Hawthorne, NJ) records the loss falling to 16-5 on the year. Graham pitched the complete game and struck out five while walking none.
In the final game of the day the Rowan defeated the Rams of Farmingdale eliminating them from the tournament and advancing to tomorrow's match-up with #2 seeded William Paterson at noon playing for a chance to play Messiah in the championship game.
Rowan scored first, two in the top of the 4th inning, when Jenna DiDonato (Hamilton, NJ) doubled home Julie Leskanic (West Milford, NJ) and Brenner. Leskanic and Brenner each drove singles to reach base. The Profs tacked on one more run in the 7th inning when rookie Ashley Minch (Pennsville, NJ) touched home on a Steph Taraschi (Mt. Ephraim, NJ) double.
Jackie Sasko (Groveville, NJ) earns the win pitching the complete game striking out seven and walking none. Minch went 2-4 with one run and DiDonato hit 1-3 with two RBI.
