May 3, 2008
TOP-SEEDED LE MOYNE SET TO FACE NO. 2 SEED BRYANT IN
NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE SOFTBALL FINALS
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College softball team ran its
winning streak to 21 games Saturday with wins in the Northeast-10
Conference Tournament over Saint Rose and Pace. The top-seeded
Dolphins knocked off Saint Rose, 3-1, in quarterfinal action and
edged Pace, 4-1, in the semifinals. Le Moyne meets No. 2 seed
Bryant in a best-of-three series Sunday slated for 9 a.m. at Le
Moyne College.
In quarterfinal action against No. 8 seed Saint Rose, Emma
Murphy’s offense and Jenna Vanacore’s power pitching
carried the Dolphins to a 3-1 win. Murphy homered in the second
inning and Vanacore carried a shutout into the fourth frame.
After the freshman pitcher retired four Saint Rose batters on five
pitches in the third, the Golden Knights tested Vanacore in the top
of the fourth. Kristen Calahan and Amanda Morano collected
back-to-back singles for the Golden Knights to lead off the inning.
After Lauren Ruggerio laid down a sacrifice bunt, Nicole Traylor
knocked in a run with a single to knot the score at 1-1.
Le Moyne responded with a pair of doubles from Kelly Schweikert
and Jennifer Farrelly to open the bottom of the fourth inning.
Kimberlee Baker brought home the go-ahead run with a sacrifice bunt
that scored Schweikert. The Dolphins added an insurance run in the
fifth when Murphy plated Danielle VanGorder with an RBI single.
Vanacore went the distance for Le Moyne, working seven innings
while surrendering an earned run on five hits. The freshman struck
out seven and ran her season record to 13-0. At the plate for the
Dolphins, Murphy, Schweikert and Sarah Reed finished with multi-hit
games. Saint Rose’s Tracy Chesebrough was stellar in defeat,
finishing with nine strikeouts in six innings of work.
In the semifinals, Le Moyne topped No. 5 seed Pace behind
Reed’s work in the circle and at the plate. She worked five
innings to pick up her fourteenth win of season and added her
eighth home run of the campaign with a solo shot in the third.
The Dolphins’ offense ignited early as Murphy drove in
VanGorder and Bailey Phillips with a double in the first inning.
Pace cut Le Moyne’s lead in half in the top of the third
inning when Patricia Hurley ripped an RBI double down the right
field line to score Amanda Dauge. Reed aided her own cause, sending
the first pitch she saw in the third inning over the fence for a
3-1 lead. Le Moyne added to its breathing room in the sixth when
Murphy brought home Reed with an RBI groundout.
Murphy finished with three RBIs in the semifinal game and five on
the day. Reed added her second multi-hit game of the day and picked
up Le Moyne’s other RBI. Hurley and Kelly Kinyon collected
two hits apiece for the Setters.
Farrelly relieved Reed in the sixth and recorded two strikeouts en
route to her third save of the season.
Top-seeded Le Moyne meets No. 2 seed Bryant University in the
finals of the Northeast-10 Conference softball tournament Sunday.
Bryant advanced with a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Stonehill and a
dramatic 3-2 win over Southern Connecticut in the semifinal game.
The Dolphins took two games from the Bulldogs earlier this season,
5-2 and 9-2, in April action. Sunday’s conference finals will
follow a best-of-three series format, with the first game slated
for 9 a.m. at the Thomas J. Niland Athletic Complex.
Michael Bersani - Sports Information Assistant
Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Saint Rose.......... 000 100 0 - 1 5 1
LeMoyne College..... 010 110 X - 3 8 2
-----------------------------------------
Win - Vanacore. Loss - Chesebrough. Save - None.
E - Calahan; Phillips; Schweikert. LOB - Saint Rose 7; Le Moyne 6.
2B - Reed 2; Schweikert; Farrelly. HR - Murphy. SH - Rios; Pastore;
Ruggerio; Baker. SB - VanGorder; Schweikert; Farrelly.
Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Pace................ 001 000 0 - 1 7 1
LeMoyne College..... 201 001 0 - 4 6 2
-----------------------------------------
Win - Reed. Loss - Parlon. Save - Farrelly
E - Frisbie; Schweikert; Balinskas. DP - Le Moyne 1. LOB - Pace 5;
Le Moyne 3. 2B - Hurley; Murphy. HR - Reed. SH - Pane; Dubey;
O'Neill; Meadows.
Northeast-10 Conference Softball Tournament
Results
Quarterfinals
Game 1: #1 Le Moyne 3 #8 Saint Rose 1 - St. Rose
eliminated
Game 2: #2 Bryant 2 #7 Stonehill 0 - Stonehill
eliminated
Game 3: #3 Southern Connecticut 4 #6 Saint Anselm 0 - Saint
Anselm eliminated
Game 4: #5 Pace 2 #4 UMass Lowell 1 (8 innings) - UMass
Lowell eliminated
Semifinals
Game 5: #1 Le Moyne 4 #5 Pace 1 – Pace eliminated
Game 6: #2 Bryant 3 #3 Southern Connecticut 2 (8 innings)
– Southern Connecticut eliminated
Finals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 Le Moyne vs. #2 Bryant – Sunday @ Le Moyne College
Game 1 - 9 a.m.
Game 2 - 11 a.m.
Game 3 - 1 p.m. (If Necessary)




















