FINAL SCORE: #7 Judson College 1, #10 Penn State Fayette 0
RECORDS: Judson College (21-23) | Penn State Fayette College (17-20)
LOCATION: Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: Scoreless through seven innings of play, the first game of the tournament was a pitcher’s duel. Judson pitcher Sarah Lippeatt threw a complete game, striking out 5 batters and only yielding 5 hits with just 1 walk. Fayette starter Tiffany Markovitch took the loss while throwing a 2-hitter, but a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning proved costly and gave Judson its only run of the game.
HOW THEY SCORED: With one out in the bottom of the 8th inning, Brioann Alva pinch hit for Chandler Kir. Alva grounded out to first base, which advanced Amanda Rowley to third base. Markovitch then walked Judson batter Erin Harrison. With Ashton Morris batting at the plate, Markovitch threw a wild pitch and Rowley scored. Judson won 1-0.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Fayette had an opportunity in the top of the 8th inning. Judson first basemen, who had 11 put outs on the day, threw Caitlyn Brow out at the plate to keep the game scoreless. The only two hits from Judson came from Katie Speer and Kacie Adams. Fayette’s Monica Joseph had 3 hits.
NEXT UP: With the win, #7 Judson College advances to play #2 Cleary University tonight at 6 pm. #10 Fayette will play the loser of the #4 SUNY Canton and #5 Penn State Brandywine at 6 pm tonight on the Pony Field.
FINAL SCORE: #9 UC Clermont 3, #8 Penn State Beaver 0
RECORDS: UC Clermont (11-6) | Penn State Beaver (18-17)
LOCATION: Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: Shutting down Penn State Beaver, the University of Cincinnati at Clermont Cougars scored one run in the first inning and added a couple of insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to cruise to a 3-0 victory.
HOW THEY SCORED: Pitcher Madison Taber scored the first run of the game after reaching base on a walk and a Penn State error in the first inning. Clermont used 8 hits and timely Beaver errors to put 3 runs on the board. Shortstop Brittany Freson had a pair of hits and 1 run scored, while first basemen Molly Murphy went 3-4.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Beaver’s centerfielder Brittany Garza, who had a couple of highlight reel catches in the outfield – including an over the back shag reminiscent of Willie Mays – was the lone offensive bright spot for her team. She had two hits on the day. For Clermont, Madison Taber and Maggie Block each added a run scored for the Cougars.
NEXT UP: #9 Clermont moves forward to battle the #1 St. Mary of the Woods College tonight at 8 pm. #8 Beaver will play the loser of the University of Maine Presque Isle vs. Carlow University game.
FINAL SCORE: #5 Penn State Brandywine 10, #4 SUNY Canton 0
RECORDS: Penn State Brandywine (22-13) | SUNY Canton (22-16)
LOCATION: Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: Penn State Brandywine scored early and often, advancing to the second round with a 10-0 victory of SUNY Canton. Brandywine was led by pitcher Grace DeRosa, who tossed a 5 inning no-hitter. DeRosa finished with five strikeouts and just one walk. Offensively, Brandywine was led by catcher Julie Foeldes, who was 4-4 with 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.
HOW THEY SCORED: After a scoreless first inning, Brandywine put two runs on the board in the second inning. Nikki Velez’s single up the middle drove in Megan Crisafulli and Julie Foeldes. SUNY Canton managed to escape the inning without any more damage as pitcher Jordan Podkladek retired her next three batters and stranded two Lion runners on base.
In the third inning, Brandywine’s Katie DeStafano led off with a triple to right center. The Lions kept the bats rolling, scoring three runs in the third inning, one in the fourth, and used several bunts and small ball to put away SUNY Canton in the 5th inning. Brandywine’s DeStafano was 2-4 with two runs scored and Alexa Anderson went 2-3 with 1 RBI.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Five SUNY Canton errors proved costly for the Roos. Coupled with Brandywine’s 15 hits, the Brandywine defense showcased strong defense, including an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Podkladek took the loss and finished the game giving up six earned runs while walking one batter and striking out three.
NEXT UP: #5 Penn State Brandywine advances to play the winner of the UC Clermont vs. St. Mary of the Woods game tomorrow afternoon. #5 SUNY Canton will play the #10 Penn State Fayette tonight at 6 pm at the PONY Field.
FINAL SCORE: #3 Carlow 4, #6 University of Maine Presque Isle 3
RECORDS: Carlow University, (17-18-1) | University of Maine Presque Isle (22-14)
LOCATION: Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: It took nine innings, 10 hits, 9 errors, and several lead changes to decide an exciting first round match up this afternoon. Carlow University scored the game-winning run on a walk-off single by Molly Patsch to send Carlow into tomorrow’s quarterfinal winner’s bracket action.
HOW THEY SCORED: Carlow struck first, with Marla Small scoring after reaching base with a lead-off single. With the game moving along with shutout innings in both the second and third, Maine Presque Isle evened the score with a run in the fourth on a RBI double by Ayana Walker. In the fifth, they took the lead after Brianna Losee singled and scored, putting the Owls ahead 2-1. In the bottom of the sixth, Carlow tied the game on a Alison Hrya double to center field. The seventh inning would go scoreless. Both Carlow and Maine scored in the eighth. Carlow shut Maine down in the ninth inning, in large part to a run-scoring double play that included throw at the plate to stop Maine’s Jackie Peers from scoring the go-ahead run. Carlow would carry their momentum into the bottom half of the ninth and win the game with a walk-off single by Patsch, went 1-3 on the day.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Carlow pitcher Madison Miller went the distance and got the win with six strikeouts, zero walks, and no earned runs. Carlow infielder Allison Hryadil went 2-4 with an RBI on the day.
NEXT UP: #3 Carlow advances to play the winner of the #7 Judson vs. #2 Cleary game tomorrow afternoon. Maine plays in a loser’s bracket contest against #8 Penn State Beaver this evening.
FINAL SCORE: #2 Cleary 7, #7 Judson 6
RECORDS: Cleary University, (29-15) | Judson College (20-24)
LOCATION: Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: With the first major upset of this year’s tournament on the line, the second-seeded Cleary University Cougars were lifted by first basemen Kailin Dormire’s walk off home run over the left center field wall. Judson College used a 6-run rally in the 6th inning to tie the game at 6-6 going into the 7th inning. With one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, Dormire knocked her first pitch over the left field fence to send Cleary into tomorrow’s winner’s bracket quarterfinal contest against Carlow University.
HOW THEY SCORED: Cleary used a big second inning to score five runs. Morgan Richer started the scoring run with a double to left field. Aggressive Cleary baserunning, four errors by Judson, and several hits from the heart of the lineup gave the Cougars a 5-0 lead. Cleary added an additional run in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 6-0. But a wild sixth inning – which saw three different Cleary pitchers – ended up with a tie ballgame heading into the seventh inning, tied at 6 apiece. Judson’s rally started with an Ashtin Morris walk. Katie Speer then singled to left. A wild pitch later, both runners were on second and third base with no outs. Darana Campbell singled to drive in Morris, followed by a Kacie Adams RBI double to left field.
Cleary starting pitcher Olivia Silvestri was relieved by Megan Robinette, who gave up two earned runs on just one hit. One run came from an illegal pitch. After facing just three batters, 2017 USCAA Softball Coach of the Year Tim Bailey brought in freshmen Natalie O’Reilly to get the Cougars out of the jam. O’Reilly shined, striking out two Judson batters while yielding just one hit.
Cleary scored its final run on Dormire’s home run. Riley Thompson pitched the seventh inning and earned the win. Sarah Lippeatt took the loss, giving up 11 hits and 3 earned runs.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Cleary used four pitchers to secure the victory. The Cougars also had just one error on the day. Judson’s Campbell and Lillie Hobson went 2-3. Cleary’s Cheyenne Wallace went 3-4 with an RBI.
NEXT UP: #2 Cleary University advances to play #3 Carlow tomorrow afternoon. Judson plays the winner of the Penn State Beaver vs. University of Maine Presque Isle tomorrow morning.
FINAL SCORE: #1 St. Mary of the Woods 12, #9 UC Clermont 0
RECORDS: St. Mary of the Woods, (26-6) | UC Clermont (11-7)
LOCATION: Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: The defending national champions and top-seeded St. Mary of the Woods displayed their dominance in tonight’s matchup against UC Clermont, winning 12-0 in five innings. Shortstop Kerri Schrock led St. Mary going 3-3 with 2 runs scored. Third basemen Marlee Yeager broke the game open in the first inning with a grand slam.
HOW THEY SCORED: The Pomeroys of St. Mary of the Woods used a seven-run first inning to propel them to victory. The scoring spurt began with a Hollie Jones leadoff walk, followed by a Baylee Water base on balls. The 2017 USCAA Softball Player of the Year Emma Riffe delivered an RBI single to left field, and the rest was history. Yeager’s grand slam along with a string of hits culminated in a deficit that Clermont could not recover from. St. Mary of the Woods had 12 hits from 9 different players. Defensively, the Pomeroys were lights out with no errors in the field. Starter Taylor Andrew pitched 3 innings of no hit ball, giving up just 1 hit and struck three Clermont batters out.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Clermont starting pitcher took the loss, giving up eight hits in four innings of work. She allowed four earned runs. St. Mary’s Stephanie Richardson and Christian Chambers each pitched an inning. Chambers was perfect, allowing no hits, no runs, and striking out two Clermont batters.
NEXT UP: #1 St. Mary of the Woods advances to play PSUAC Champions and #5 Penn State Brandywine tomorrow afternoon. UC Clermont drops to the elimination bracket and faces #5 SUNY Canton tomorrow in a must-win game for both teams. First pitch is at noon.
FINAL SCORE: #8 Penn State Beaver 3, University of Maine Presque Isle 2
RECORDS: #8 Penn State Beaver 3, University of Maine Presque Isle 2
LOCATION: PONY Field at Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: It took extra innings in an exciting elimination game, but Penn State Beaver stayed alive and ousted the University of Maine Presque Isle 3-2 Monday evening. Maine was eliminated and suffered two extra inning losses on the day.
HOW THEY SCORED: Scoreless through the first three innings, Maine took the lead with two runs in the fourth. Sarah Packard led the inning with a triple and scored on Nicole Marucci’s double. Marucci then scored on an Ariel Williams single to left field.
Beaver chipped away, though, getting one run in the fifth on a Jenna Petrucci groundout. The sixth inning would go scoreless, and in the bottom of the seventh, Beaver struck again. It started with with a Lacey Weible double. Vanessa Jackson followed suit with a double of her own, driving in Weible. The scored stayed tied at 2-2 going into extra innings. The Beaver defense shut Maine down in the top of the eighth. Brittany Zahn laid a sacrifice bunt down to advance Dina Cable. Cable then scored on an errant throw by the Maine shortstop Jordi Legassie. Beaver won 3-2.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: Beaver’s Jackson went 3-4 with 1 RBI. Eight Beaver batters had at least 1 hit or more in the game. Maine’s Emma Cogan went 3-4. Beaver starting pitcher Jackson went the distance, pitching 8 innings and striking out 10 Maine batters. Maine starter Packard took the loss in 7.1 innings pitched. She had two strikeouts and gave up two earned runs.
NEXT UP: #8 Penn State Beaver plays #7 Judson Tuesday morning in an elimination game at 10 am at Firestone Stadium. Maine will compete for ninth place in this year’s USCAA Championships against #10 Penn State Fayette at 2 pm Tuesday afternoon.
FINAL SCORE: #5 SUNY Canton 8, #10 Penn State Fayette 0
RECORDS: #5 SUNY Canton (23-15) | #10 Penn State Fayette (18-20)
LOCATION: PONY Field at Firestone Stadium – Akron, Ohio
IN BRIEF: Completely different from the first game of the tournament for SUNY Canton, the Roos came out swinging, scoring seven runs in the third inning to win 8-0 and stay alive in search of a national championship.
HOW THEY SCORED: Canton put one run on the board in the first off a Stefanie Miller single to score Rhea Coad. The third inning started with a double to right center by SUNY’s Courtney Hyland. Miller then tripled to right, scoring Hyland. The onslaught of scoring continued, and Hyland doubled again in the same inning, scoring two runners.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE: SUNY had eight batters earn a hit on the day, compared to none in their first-round matchup against Brandywine. SUNY starter, Jordan Podkladek, threw a 1-hitter. Fayette catcher Miranda Nichols was the lone Lion to muster up a base knocker.
NEXT UP: #5 SUNY Canton advances to play #9 UC Clermont at 12 pm Tuesday. Fayette will compete for ninth place against the University of Maine Presque Isle Tuesday at 2 pm.
