Softball

Wild Opening Day Sees Upsets in NE10 Softball Championship

Two of the Top Three Seeds Drop DH's as Underdogs Advance

Pace survives opening doubleheader, but two other higher seeds not as lucky.  Four teams advance to the weekend series in New York starting Thursday.
 
Recaps courtesy Pace, Adelphi, Assumption and Bentley Athletics

No. 1 Pace 2-1 L vs. No. 8 Saint Michael's
No. 1 Pace 2-0 W vs. No. 8 Saint Michael's

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – On Tuesday afternoon, the number one-seeded Pace Softball team hosted the eight-seeded Purple Knights of Saint Michael's College. In the opening round of the Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference Championship, the Setters fell in their first game, 2-1, before fending off the Purple Knights in game two, 2-0.

With the postseason victory, the Setters now enter the quarterfinal round, where they jump back onto the diamond on Thursday with a 38-10 overall record.

Game One
  • In the opening game of the playoff schedule, Saint Michael's made a statement in the first inning, knocking a home run off reigning NE10 Pitcher of the Week, Gisselle Garcia. Despite the rapid start from the visitors, the Setters responded with a Willa Poplawski RBI single to bring the score back to even, 1-1.
  • Over the next four innings, both pitchers found a groove in the circle as neither side added to their run total, until the Purple Knights found success in the sixth.
  • Led by a lead-off single and then a double, Saint Michael's snatched a 2-1 lead over the Blue and Gold as only two innings remained in the contest.
  • Despite an opportunity to tie up the game, Pace could not bring home a run before the end of the seventh, as game one went to the road squad, pushing the opening round into a game two elimination game.
  • The 2-1 loss marked the Setters' first dropped game at home and also their first time falling to an in-conference opponent.
Game Two
  •  Following the loss, the Setters jumped back into action thirty minutes after the first game with their NE10 playoffs on the line. A pitcher's duel ensued in the contest, with Alyssa Smart cruising in the circle against the Purple Knights' lineup. With both pitchers commanding the strike zone, both sides failed to bring a run home until the fourth inning.
  • Breaking up the 0-0 tie, Raelle Gorman and Brianna Shea tallied back-to-back RBI singles to give the Setters a 2-0 advantage. Moving into the fifth, the Blue and Gold were three innings away from securing their spot in the quarterfinals.
  • The low-scoring affair headed into the seventh with a 2-0 score, as Smart had a chance to shut down the opposition. However, Saint Michael's bats would not go down quietly as they earned a base runner following a one-out walk. Making a game-changing move, head coach Claudia Stabile brought in her ace to close out the contest.
  • With Garcia in the circle, the final two batters were retired on strikes as Pace solidified their 2-0 victory and trip into the quarterfinal round.
Box Score Insights
  • Poplawski celebrated her 100th career hit in game one as the junior finished with two hits, one run scored, and one RBI in the afternoon.
  • Alexa Borino and Shea both posted two hits as the Setters registered 11 hits in both games compared to Saint Michael's eight.
  • In the circle, Garcia (7.2 IP, 1 SV, 17 K's) and Smart (6.1 IP, 1 W, 4K's) split duties as the pair guided the Setters to the next round.
No. 7 Adelphi 6-4 W @ No. 2 St. Anselm
No. 7 Adelphi 8-4 W @ No. 2 St. Anslem

Manchester, N.H. - In its first road playoff games since the 2024 NCAA East Super Regional, the Adelphi University softball team swept its first round matchup against Saint Anselm College on Tuesday afternoon, by the final scores of 8-4 and 6-4.

Game 1: Adelphi 8, Saint Anselm 4
The Panthers kept a similar tone to their matchup this past Thursday against the Hawks, by leveraging their high amount of run support to hold on for a win. 

Besides two walks in the opening pair of frames, the Brown and Gold weren't able to generate any offensive opportunities early. Julianna Sanzone changed that in the third, as her double to the right center gap scored the first two runs of the afternoon in Reeghan McCarthy and Courtney Wengryn. 

Back-to-back home runs in the home half put Saint A's back on top 3-2, as the former scored two. The Cats responded in the top of the fourth with a sensational triple from Courtney Murphy, later scoring on an error herself. That combination put Adelphi up two at the end of four. 

After another deep shot form the Hawks to put the score back within one, the visitors tallied three more in the sixth. Another error-riddled bunt scored Ellen Tarjan, with singles from Zee Zee Shreter and Sanzone putting the seventh and eighth runs on the scoreboard. 

Starting pitcher Lily Kenney kept herself composed through the roller coaster affair. After surrendering the lead, the Connecticut native sat down 11 of her next 12 to take the game into the seventh and final frame. 

There, the sophomore retired three more consecutively, putting a cap on the matinee. Kenney's final line read four earned runs and seven hits in the complete game victory, off 111 pitches. 

Game 2: Adelphi 6, Saint Anselm 4
Later action saw much of the same, with 10 combined runs in the first four innings.

Wengryn started the Cats off right, blasting a 2-2 pitch past the center field wall, putting the road team up a pair after three batters. Murphy's single to left field brought home freshman Maddy Moore in the second, with a fielder's choice from Shreter increasing the advantage to four.

Saint Anselm returned back to their power in the third, as a home run to left woke the crowd up, scoring the home team's first run. A single, double, and error tied the game in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Continuing the streak of every inning seeing a score, Sanzone capitalized on the speed of Shreter with her sacrifice fly in the fourth. Brianna Pearson tacked on a key insurance run with a single to right, scoring McCarthy. 

Starter Jenna Plue took the Brown and Gold through the first half of the second clash, only allowing two earned runs off five hits and an equal amount of strikeouts. 

After an infield single put runners on second and third base with two outs, Kenney entered the game in relief. On her first batter faced, she sat down Saint Anselm's Audrey Arsenault to end the inning. 

Over her next two frames, Kenney provided security on the small lead, striking out three of her seven players faced, sending the game to its final three outs. 

A double and a walk aided by another fielder's choice saw another second and third situation with two outs. Following three straight foul balls, Caitlyn Duquette popped up to third base, with Tarjan anticipating the catch and clinching Adelphi's spot in championship weekend. 
 

No. 6 Assumption 3-1 W @ No. 3 SNHU F/8
No. 6 Assumption 1-0 W @ No. 3 SNHU

MANCHESTER, N.H.—The Assumption University softball team pulled off the upset of Southern New Hampshire University, as the Greyhounds took game one 3-1 in eight innings before eliminating the Penmen with a 1-0 win in the nightcap, Tuesday afternoon at the SNHU Softball Field. 
 
THE BASICS
Game One Score: Assumption University 3, Southern New Hampshire University 1 – 8 Innings
Game Two Score: Records: Greyhounds (19-25, 10-10 NE10), Penmen (25-17, 12-8 NE10)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Game One Score: Assumption University 3, Southern New Hampshire University 1 – 8 Innings
Assumption was the first team to strike, as Alyssa Johnson led off the top of the third with a single to left field. After a pair of sacrifice bunts to move Johnson over to third, before scoring on a Kaitlyn Cahill single to left. Both pitchers and the defenses locked down until the bottom of the seventh, where Southern New Hampshire scored on a single to center. 
 
The Greyhounds capitalized on a Penmen error, as Naomi Cohen scored on a fielder's choice, before Molly Green drove in Cahill with a single to center. Kaelin Waldron retired the hosts in the top of bottom of the eighth to finish off the complete game win for the Greyhounds. 

Game Two Score: Assumption University 1, Southern New Hampshire University 0
Assumption was the only team to score in game two, as Alysaa Johnson had a one-out double to left in the top of the fourth inning. She would come around to score on a base-knock by Maddy Bland to go up 1-0. 
 
Ashley Dalo was locked down in the pitching circle, as she pitched the complete game in 89 pitches, scattering three hits and striking out a pair. She only allowed two runners to reach scoring position and stranded both at third base in the fourth and seventh innings. 
No. 4 Bentley 7-2 W vs. No. 5 Franklin Pierce

WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley scored all seven of its runs in the first three innings and went on to defeat Franklin Pierce 7-2 on Tuesday in the first round of the Northeast 10 Softball Championship.

Bentley, the #4 seed, was the only higher seed to win its first game and avoid having to play a second game on Tuesday. They advance to Championship Weekend, which gets underway on Thursday at the highest remaining seed after the first round.

The Falcons led 1-0 after the first inning on a sac fly by Jordan Krause. They then did most of their damage in the second inning with four runs.

The first three batters of the inning reached to bring up freshman Michelle Diaz, who cleared the bases with a double to left field to score Carly DiMento, Hailey Feiler and Becca Harris to make it 4-0.

A sac fly by Bella Burke to score Diaz made it 5-0.

Maddie Baker led off the bottom of the third with a double left. That brought up Kim Saunders, who blasted a home run to left to give Bentley a 7-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Riley Piromalli blanked the Ravens through the first six innings and allowed just one hit. She tossed her 18thcomplete game of the season and earned her 13th win.

Her final line for the day was three hits, two runs allowed (one earned) and five strike outs in seven innings of work.
 
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 11 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
 
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