(boxscore)
 5/12/06 --
Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year Jenny Giles (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie)
tossed a complete-game shutout – her eighth of the season
- to lead top-seeded Long Island past No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s,
3-0, in the opening round of the 2006 NEC Softball Championships
on Friday.
With the win, the Blackbirds (32-21) will battle the winner of the No.2 Robert
Morris/No. 3 Wagner game on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m. The Mount (31-24)
will face the loser of the Colonials/Seahawks contest on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Giles (21-15), who also earned All-NEC first-team honors, tossed a two-hit shutout
with eight strikeouts in the victory.
Senior Krystal Mejia (Sylmar, CA/University of New Mexico) went 1-for-2 with
two runs scored while classmate Leah Glenn (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) knocked
in the first run of the game in the second to give LIU a lead it would not relinquish.
The senior also made a diving catch in the sixth to keep the shutout intact.
Senior Danyale Goode (Ellicott City, MD/Seton Keough) and sophomore Jessica Burke
(Purcellville, VA/Loudoun Valley) each posted a hit for the Mountaineers in the
loss. Senior hurler Maria Lutz (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddon Township) (14-12) went
the distance, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.
The Blackbirds jumped on the scoreboard with a run in the second and another
in the third and never looked back. With two outs in the second, K. Mejia tripled
down the right field line. Glenn then slapped a single down the left field line
to plate Mejia and give LIU a 1-0 lead.
LIU added to its advantage in the third. Sophomore Celina Castillo (Redwood City,
CA/Carlmont) walked and advanced to third on a right field single by NEC Player
of the Year Randi Gillespie (San Jose, CA/West Valley CC). Both runners moved
up a base on a wild pitch before junior Holly Erwin (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther
King, Sr.) plated Castillo with an RBI single for a 2-0 edge.
In the sixth, Mejia walked and came around to score on a long double to right
field from senior Alissa Villaneuva (Pacoima, CA/Kennedy) for the final tally
of the game for the Blackbirds.
Mount St. Mary’s had two hits and saw only two runners reach second base.
The Mountaineers best scoring opportunity came in the sixth when senior Cara
Bleecher (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) reached on an error and moved to
second on a sacrifice bunt by Amanda Burk (Bristow, Va./Stonewall Jackson). However,
Glenn ended the threat with a diving grab in shallow right.
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