Softball Wins Two to Advance to Championship Round of Northeast Conference Tournament |
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(boxscore
- vs. Quinnipiac)
Two-time NEC Pitcher of the Year Jenny Giles (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie) tossed her first career no-hitter and picked up her 17th victory of the season as she outdueled the Bobcats’ Kristin Sheriff, who pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings before giving up the home run. In what was a pitcher’s duel throughout, Quinnipiac had the game’s first opportunity to get on the board in the top of the first. A hit by pitch put freshman Angela Casella (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) on base with one out. Casella then stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. But Giles got senior Sammi Allendorfer (Glenside, PA/Abington) to ground out to third to end the inning. The Blackbirds’ best opportunity to score early came in the third, as Martinson doubled to right center to lead off. Sheriff got the next two out before Martinson stole third with two down. But the threat was thwarted by the right-hander, who got second team All-NEC outfielder Brittany Murphy (Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos) to fly to center field and close the frame. In the sixth, the Bobcats loaded the bases with two outs and Allendorfer up again. Giles came through and preserved the 0-0 tie by enducing a comebacker that she fired to first to keep the scoreless. The bottom half of the inning saw Long Island also load the bases with a pair out but Sheriff produced a fielder’s choice to the shortstop and end the threat.
The Hawks (31-17) will play second-seeded Wagner in the consolation round at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday with the winner to face LIU immediately following. Monmouth got on the board first with a run in the top of the third. With one down, second baseman Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) looped a liner down the right field line for the day’s first hit off Giles, who pitched a no-hitter in the opening round. A walk to sophomore Nichole Alvarez (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) put two runners on for Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial), who lined a single to load the bases. First team All-NEC honoree Heather Gordon gave the Hawks the 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout. The Blackbirds got the run right back in the bottom half as a two-out double off the wall by junior Jessie DePippo (Westlake Village, CA/Agoura) to tie the game. Long Island got three more in the following inning, as Castillo drove in her first run of the game on an infield single to shortstop. A sacrifice fly by first team All-NEC third baseman Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, VA/Los Angeles Valley College) scored Player of the Year Randi Gillespie (San Jose, CA/West Valley CC), who made a nifty slide to avoid the tag of Nicola. Three more runs in the sixth inning gave LIU its final margin
of victory. Castillo had the big hit of the frame, lacing a two-run
double over the head of the left fielder. Senior hurler Angela
Rand (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) suffered the loss for Monmouth and
drops to 5-4 on the year.
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5/11/07 --
Game 1 - Long Island freshman Chelsea Martinson
(Agoura Hills, CA/Agoura) tallied two hits, including the
game-winning solo
home run
in the bottom of the seventh inning as the top-seeded Blackbirds
defeated Quinnipiac, 1-0, in the first
game of the Northeast Conference Softball Championship in Teaneck,
N.J. on Friday
morning.
Game 2 -- Long Island sophomore
Jenny Giles (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie) pitched her second consecutive
complete-game
victory of the day and junior Celina Castillo tallied three
hits and three RBIs as the top-seeded Blackbirds (32-19) advanced
to the championship round of the 2007 Northeast Conference
Softball Tournament with a 7-1 victory over Monmouth on Friday
evening.