Michael Bersani - Sports Information Assistant
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.
Northeast-10 Conference Softball Tournament Results
Quarterfinals
Game 1: #1 Le Moyne 3Â #8 Saint Rose 1 - St. Rose eliminated
Game 2: #2 Bryant 2Â #7 Stonehill 0 - Stonehill eliminated
Game 3: #3 Southern Connecticut 4Â #6 Saint Anselm 0 - Saint Anselm eliminated
Game 4: #5 Pace 2Â #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)
