Championship Game
#1 Long Island 10, #2 Wagner 0 (6) Box Score
Teaneck, NJ -- Top-seeded Long Island stifled second-seeded Wagner, 10-0 in six innings, to claim the 2007 Northeast Conference Softball Championship on Saturday afternoon in Teaneck, NJ. The Blackbirds earn the NEC’s automatic NCAA bid with the win.
The Blackbirds got on the board in the top of the first with a pair of runs on a double by junior Celina Castillo (Bay Area, CA/Carlmont) to take a 2-0 lead.
LIU sophomore Jenny Giles (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie), the Tournament MVP, pitched her second shutout of the weekend, scattering four hits. Giles was in control much of the game, as Wagner’s only serious scoring chance came in the fourth inning.
The Seahawks got consecutive singles from freshman Kate Eshelman (Reno, NV/McQueen) and junior Katie Stevens (Reno, NV/Wooster) to open the inning. After a pair of groundouts, senior Joy Gallagher (Hazleton, PA/Hazleton) drew a walk to load the bases, but Giles got out of the jam with an inning-ending groundout.
Two runs in the first inning gave Long Island the early advantage, as all-tournament team member Celina Castillo (Bay Area, CA/Carlmont) brought home the first run with a double to left center. Fellow all-tournament team member Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, VA/Los Angeles Valley College) followed with an RBI single to put the Blackbirds up 2-0.
Senior hurler Morgan Miller (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado), who was also named to the all-tournament team, kept LIU scoreless for the next two innings before running into trouble in the fourth. A three-run home run by sophomore Renae Beauchman (Eagle Rock, CA/Belmont) put Long Island up 5-0, and NEC Player of the Year Randi Gillespie (San Jose, CA/West Valley CC) followed with a solo shot for her ninth home run of the year.
A run in the fifth and three more in the sixth gave Long Island the final margin of victory.
Miller joined Eshelman and sophomore Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV/Wooster) on the all-tournament team along with Monmouth senior Heather Gordon (Hatboro, PA/Mount St. Joseph’s), Monmouth sophomore Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, PA/Wilson) and Quinnipiac senior Maria Browne (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge).
The Blackbirds will advance to the NCAA Tournament against an opponent to be announced on ESPNews on Sunday, May 13 between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Teaneck, NJ -- Second-seeded Wagner scored six runs over the final three innings to defeat top-seeded Long Island, 8-6, and force a rematch for the Northeast Conference Softball Championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Seahawks came out swinging to start the game, loading the bases on a pair of singles and a fielding error with just one out. The Blackbirds managed to avoid any damage, as freshman Blaire Porter (Redmond, WA/Redmond) fanned two batters to end the threat.
Long Island struck in the bottom of the first after junior Celina Castillo (Bay Area, CA/Carlmont) singled and came around to score on a double by junior Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, VA/Los Angeles Valley College) to take a 1-0 lead.
Wagner staged a two-out rally in the top of the third to take a 2-1 lead. After the first two batters were retired, the Seahawks drew a walk and singled to put runners on first and second. Junior Victoria Batistelli (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach) singled home the first run. A wild pitch plated sophomore Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV/Wooster) to give Wagner the lead.
The Seahawks scored two runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by Batistelli and then tacked on two more in the sixth on a single by Lazzari to make it 6-1.
The Blackbirds mounted a comeback in the bottom of the sixth after Castillo and Mejia led off with a pair of singles. Following a fielder’s choice, junior Jessie DePippo (Westlake Village, CA/Agoura) singled to drive in one run and make it 6-2. Freshman Mariesha Marker (Keizer, OR/McNary) got LIU within a run at 6-5, with a three-run homer over the right field fence.
Wagner added two runs in the top of the seventh as insurance. Junior Margaret Gallia (Las Vegas, NV/Community College) delivered a pinch-hit double to plate senior Christina Hopkins (Edison, NJ/Edison) with two outs, making it 7-5. The Seahawks loaded the bases with a walk and an infield single, before a wild pitch pushed home an insurance run for an 8-5 lead.
The Blackbirds tried to rally in the last half of the seventh after junior Brittany Murphy (Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos) doubled and Castillo walked. After two outs, a throwing error pushed Castillo across to make it 8-6, but Wagner senior Morgan Miller (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado) struck out Marker to end LIU’s comeback.
Teaneck, NJ -- Freshman Kate Eshelman (Reno, NV/McQueen) hit a solo homerun in the top of the eighth inning, sparking a four-run outburst and carrying Wagner past Monmouth, 4-0, in the first game of the day on Saturday morning at the Northeast Conference Softball Championship in Teaneck, NJ.
The Seahawks advance to face Long Island in the conference championship at 12:35 p.m.
Following Eshelman’s homerun, the Seahawks put runners on second and third with a walk and a two-base throwing error on an attempted sacrifice bunt. Junior Victoria Bastitelli (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach) doubled home both runners before scoring on a single by junior Ami Iwicki (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) making 4-0.
Wagner senior Morgan Miller (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado) retired Monmouth in the bottom of the eighth to complete a three-hit shutout. She struck out three and walked one to improve her record to 15-9.
Monmouth had its best chance to score in the fourth inning when senior Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland, NJ/Jefferson) singled and junior Kara O’Dell (Henderson, NV/Green Valley) was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second with one out. Miller got Wagner out of the jam, inducing a pair of pop flies to end the threat.
The Seahawks threatened in the sixth after they got runners on first and third with just one out, but Monmouth sophomore Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, PA/Wilson) retired the next two batters. Sawlsville finished the day with five strikeouts and held Wagner scoreless for seven innings, but took the loss and finished the season wit a 17-7 mark.