Softball Elminated by Elms
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Mitchell College softball team came
within one game of reaching the finals at the 2010 NECC
Championship on Sunday, falling 4-1 to second-seeded Elms College
for the second time in three days.
Mitchell (22-14 overall) and Elms faced off to determine who would
earn the right to face Lesley in the title game. Despite being
outhit 7-2 by the Mariners, the Blazers were able to score four
runs in the bottom of the third to fuel their offense to
victory.
Elms hurler Courtney Hampton struck out 12 batters in 7.0 innings
while giving up just one run the game. Hampton improved to 13-6 on
the season with the dominating performance.
In the bottom of the third, Mitchell pitcher Kristina Torres
got two quick outs before Elms began its four-run rally. A walk and
a single put two runners on, and then a Mitchell error loaded the
bases for Blazers senior Ally Graffum. Graffum drew a walk to bring
in the game's first run, and Sarah Buckley followed with a two-RBI
single to right field. An error on the relay throw brought another
run home and the Blazers led 4-0.
Torres went 6.0 innings and struck out six while allowing four
unearned runs on two hits and two walks. She dropped to 11-9
on the season.
Mitchell got a run back in the top of the fifth after sophomore Marissa
Thomas drove home classmate Brittany
Zaccaria with a one-out single. Zaccaria had reached with a
single up the middle to lead off the inning.
The Mariners threatened in the top of the seventh after getting
back-to-back hits by Zaccaria and senior Michele
Anderson to lead off the inning. Hampton, however, got two
strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.
Elms went on to hand Lesley University its first loss of the
tournament by a 9-0 final. The top-seeded Lynx then rebounded to
pull out a 4-3 victory in extra innings to win their second
straight NECC title.
NECC Championship All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player – Cassandra Knox, So., P, Lesley
University
Jodi Fralick, Sr. C, Lesley University
Alyson Durben, Jr., OF, Lesley University
Courtney Hampton, So., P, Elms College
Ally Graffum, Sr., 2B, Elms College
Sarah Buckely, Fr., 1B, Elms College
Nikki Hoxie, So., 2B, Mitchell
College
Kristina Torres, So., P, Mitchell
College
Sarah Gates, Sr., OF, Bay Path College
Jessica Nizinski, Sr., P, Bay Path College