May 8, 2008
Plattsburgh, N.Y. - The Endicott College softball team defeated Keuka College, 7-1, on Thursday afternoon at Cardinal Park in Plattsburgh, N.Y. to advance in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.
Keuka College jumped out in front 1-0 in the first inning after senior Jen Shaughnessy (LeRoy, N.Y.) drove in short stop Amanda Witter (Hornell, N.Y.) with a two-out RBI single to right field.
Undeterred, the Gulls fought back in the bottom half of the inning. After back-to-back singles by left fielder Danielle Sargent (Sabattus, Maine) and senior Rachel Pearson (Gales Ferry, Conn.), catcher Meghan Sargent reached on an error, loading the bases in the process. Sophomore Maria Mangine (Lockport, N.Y.) stepped to the plate and evened the score with a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Danielle Sargent.
The Gulls displayed their speed in bottom of the second. Megan Downey (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) was the first to reach, beating out an infield hit with just one down. Senior Paula McGinn (Lynn, Mass.) followed by reaching on a chopper up the middle that was grabbed by Keuka shortstop Amanda Witter. Downey alertly took off for third noticing that the bag had been left uncovered, leading to an errant throw by the Storm. The throw rolled down the left field line allowing Downey to score and moving McGinn all the way to third. Shortstop Jenna Lazar (Milton, Mass.) followed, perfectly executing a squeeze bunt to score McGinn and put the Gulls up by a score of 3-1.
The scored remained that way into the top of the fourth when the Storm led off the inning with consecutive singles from Jen Shaughnessy and sophomore Jessica VanScoter (Canisteo, N.Y.). After a sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position, freshman Kate Kraus (Williamsville, N.Y.) hit a groundball to Endicott shortstop Jenna Lazar. Lazar charged the ball and threw a strike to catcher Meghan Sargent to cut down Shaughnessy at the plate and save a run.
Endicott came to bat in the bottom of the sixth looking to score some insurance runs. Paula McGinn sparked a rally when she smacked a line drive over the center fielders head and motored into third with a one-out triple. McGinn came home when Lazar dropped down her second squeeze bunt of the game. Lazar reached safely on the play, as the throw came to the plate in an unsuccessful effort to cut down McGinn. After an infield hit by Danielle Sargent and a walk to Pearson loaded the bases, TCCC Player of the Year Meghan Sargent delivered a two-run double down the right field line, giving Endicott a 7-1 advantage.
Endicott pitcher Jenn Elwell (Tewksbury, Mass.) retired the side in order in the seventh inning to close the door on a 7-1 Gulls victory.
Elwell earned the win for Endicott, improving her overall season record to 15-3. She went seven strong innings surrendering just one run on seven hits while striking out four batters without issuing a walk. Offensively the Gulls were paced by senior Paula McGinn who went 3-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Seniors Danielle Sargent and Rachel Pearson also chipped in with two hits a piece in the win.
Keuka senior Jen Shaughnessy took the loss for the Storm, falling to 12-5 on the year. She went six innings, giving up seven runs on a total of 12 hits while striking out five. Shaughnessy also stood out for the Storm at the plate, going 2-3 and driving in the team's lone run.
The loss drops Keuka to 23-8 on the season, and sends the team into the loser's bracket to take on fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut on Friday at 10:00 a.m. With the win the Gulls improve to 39-4 overall and advance in the winner's bracket. Endicott will battle third-seeded St. John Fisher (25-19) on Friday at Cardinal Park in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
