NCAA TOURNAMENT: Endicott Bows Out Of Postseason Play Against No. 13 Kean, 8-2

NCAA TOURNAMENT: Endicott Bows Out Of Postseason Play Against No. 13 Kean, 8-2

RECAP VS. STATEN ISLAND; 3-2 WIN

UNION, N.J. — The Endicott softball team saw its 2019 NCAA Tournament run come to an end on Saturday night at Cougar Field via an 8-2 loss to Union Regional host Kean University.

With the win, the No. 13 nationally ranked Cougars (39-7) will play No. 11 Christopher Newport tomorrow at 12 PM. Kean will need to defeat the Captains (2-0) twice in order to advance to Super Regionals. 

The if-necessary game in this weekend's double-elimination tournament is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:30 PM.

Meanwhile, Endicott closed out its 2019 season at 33-7 overall. The Gulls' 33-win campaign marks the 10th time that Endicott has produced 30 or more victories in a single-season in program history.

As for today's game, Kean starter Kaitlin Stahlbrand (Robbinsville, N.J.) picked up the win (5-1) on four innings pitched, six hits, two runs (both earned), one walk, and a strikeout. Jacqueline Riley (South Amboy, N.J.) was credited with her second save of the season behind three shutout innings out of the pen (2 H, 0 BB, 1 K).

Endicott starter Maggie Oram (Lexington, Mass.) received the loss (15-3) via 5 1/3 innings, 11 hits, eight runs (five earned), three free passes, and four punchouts. Senior Laura Somerville (Suffield, Conn.) finished off the final 1 2/3 innings for the Gulls allowing just one hit and a walk alongside one strikeout. 

As they did in their first meeting against Endicott in this weekend's NCAA Tournament, the Cougars scored first — this time with a pair of runs in the first inning. 

Kean also tacked on two more runs in the third before Endicott freshman shortstop Lauren Misiaszek (Londonderry, N.H.) cut the deficit in half with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning. 

However, the Cougars responded in the sixth with a four-run frame to put the game away.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

  • Earlier today, the Gulls defeated Staten Island, 3-2, to stay alive in the postseason and register its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014.
  • Senior Gina DeMilt (Princeton, N.J.) went 2-for-4 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot. It marks her 17th multi-hit game this season (tied for the team lead).
  • Adrianna Favreau (Tewksbury, Mass.) was 2-for-4 in the three-hole for the Gulls. Favreau now has 13th multi-hit games this season.
  • Misiaszek's two-RBI night marks her 11th multi-RBI game this spring (second most on the squad).
  • Senior Olivia Odermatt (Cheshire, Conn.) went 1-for-2 with a run scored. She ended her career on an eight-game on-base streak.
  • Overall in the playoffs, counting the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament (5-3 overall), Odermatt posted a .500/.550/.833 slash line to go along with five runs scored, nine hits, three doubles, one home run, and five RBI.
  • Misiaszek was just as influential to the Gulls' 2019 postseason run as the freshman put together a .480/.480/.720 slash with four runs, 12 hits, six doubles and eight RBI.
  • Other top performers in the postseason included Favreau (.435/.500/.913, 7 R, 10 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI), DeMilt (.346/.346/.423, 8 R, 9 H, 1 3B, 3 RBI), Peyton Atkins (Goshen, N.Y.), and seniors Hayley Arduini (Southington, Conn.) and Jamie Hopgood (Warwick, R.I.).
  • Atkins hit .333/.391/.429 (3 R, 7 H, 2 2B), while Arduini had a .304/.360/.913 slash to go along with five runs, seven hits, two doubles, a team-high four home runs and eight RBI (tied for team-high with Misiaszek).
  • Hopgood compiled seven RBI, five runs, five hits, three doubles and a home run during the Gulls' playoff run. Hopgood's two-run shot against Roger Williams in the Gulls' first game of the CCC Tournament on May 3 sparked Endicott offensively in that contest and throughout the rest of the weekend.
  • Pitching-wise in the postseason, Michaela Hamill (Lynn, Mass.) notched a 2-0 record and a 1.29 earned run average on 16 1/3 innings pitched (21 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K).
  • Meanwhile, Oram was 3-2 in the postseason (one save) behind a 1.93 ERA in 29 innings (26 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 26 K).

YEAR IN REVIEW

Endicott won its 11th CCC Championship and 14th conference title overall behind its 33-7 record and 16-0 mark in league play. The Gulls never lost back-to-back contests all year and rattled off an 18-game winning streak from April 2 to May 3. Endicott's 18-game winning streak started off with a 2-0 victory over then-No. 23 nationally ranked Tufts University. It was the first win over a nationally ranked opponent since March 18, 2010 (7-5, Illinois Wesleyan, based upon available data). 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)