May 8, 2009

BEVERLY, Mass. - Rhode Island College's Amanda Perry (New Bedford, Mass.) drove in six runs, including a grand-slam that helped advance the Anchorwomen past Bridgewater State College by a score of 7-2 on day two of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Regionals held on the campus of Endicott College. RIC (41-6) will move on to play on Saturday and face the loser of the Tufts University and Emerson College matchup while Bridgewater State wraps up its season at 28-11 and has been eliminated from tournament play.

Both teams were held scoreless through the first two innings of play as neither offense could get anything going. Rhode Island College finally broke through in the top half of the third inning when Perry drove in her first two runs of the contest with a towering homerun to leftfield that scored Donielle Mattoon (Coventry, R.I.) who had doubled to lead-off the inning.

RIC struck again when they came up in their next at-bat as the Anchorwomen did all their damage with the long ball. Chelsi Panarelli (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led off the inning with a blast that cleared the scoreboard in left field, giving RIC the 3-0 advantage. The Anchorwomen worked the bases loaded and with one out, and a 1-1 count, Perry hammered her second homerun of the day that cleared the bases and gave RIC a 7-0 lead.

The Bears would finally get their first hit of the day off starter Amanda Berard (Swansea, Mass.) in their half of the fifth but that would be their only baserunner until their final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. Facing RIC reliever Melanie Neece (Westfield, Mass.) the Bears started off the inning with a Rachael Sprague (Duxbury, Mass.) walk followed by a Stacy Capodiece (East Lyme, Conn.) single to get only their fourth baserunner of the day. In the inning, RIC would make its only two errors of the day as an error loaded the bases for the Bears and a pair of runs would score when Panarelli's throw sailed high as she tried to double-off the runner, allowing BSC to cut their deficit to 7-2. Unfortunately for the Bears, Neece would force a groundout to the next batter to end the game and RIC advanced in the bracket, 7-2.

Berard picked up her 15th win of the season while giving up just one hit in five innings of work, striking out eight. Neece pitched the final two innings while also giving up just one hit and two unearned runs while striking out four. Perry wrapped up her day going 2-for-5 with six RBI and two runs scored. Panerelli finished 2-for-4 with her seventh homerun of the season while Mattoon went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Alyssa Verronneau (Acushnet, Mass.) suffered the setback for the Bears as she went three innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs. Stephanie Pierce (Worcester, Mass.) pitched the final four innings going four innings while giving up seven hits and four earned runs. Sprague and Capodiece ended the day with both of Bridgewater State's hits and scored both runs as well.

Rhode Island College will face the loser of the Tufts/Emerson matchup at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.