Lakewood, N.J. – Sarah Lavallee led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run to give fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University a 7-6 win over the Le Moyne College softball team in the championship of the NCAA Division II East 1 Regional at Georgian Court University.

The Dolphins, who made their first NCAA appearance since 2009, close out the season with a 32-17 record, including their final three losses all against Southern New Hampshire over the last nine days. The 32 wins are tied for the eighth-most in the program's 32-year history and are the most since the 2009 squad posted 45.

The Dolphins opened the game's scoring with two runs on three hits in the first inning. Junior shortstop Courtney Case (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) led off the game with a single through the left side and then took second on a sacrifice bunt. Junior third baseman Kelly Mascari (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Buffalo) followed with a single to left center to drive in Case. After junior center fielder Sabrina Riley (Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park) reached on a fielder's choice in which Mascari was retired at second, junior catcher Emily Bagley (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) doubled down the left field line to plate Riley.

Southern New Hampshire answered with three runs on two hits and a Le Moyne error in the bottom of the first. After right fielder Devin Rabidou reached on an error by the first baseman with one out, shortstop Katie Caruso blasted a two-run home run to left center with two outs. Lavallee followed with a solo home run down the left field line.

Le Moyne evened the score at three apiece in the fourth inning with one run on two hits. Sophomore second baseman Tess Andrews (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) tripled down the right field line with one out and came in to score on a single up the middle by freshman designated player Madison DeRita (Higganum, Conn./Mercy).

The Dolphins took the lead in the fifth with three runs on two hits. Case singled with one out and then stole second. After a walk by senior right fielder Kirsten Trotta (Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. Dupont) and a line out, Riley drilled a three-run home run to right center to put the Dolphins up 6-3.

After the Dolphins left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Southern New Hampshire scored three times in the bottom of the inning on three hits and one Le Moyne error to tie the score at six. Designated player Nicole Gubellini singled to center with one out and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Kailey March. After Perdigao reached on a throwing error by the pitcher and stole second base, center fielder Mo Hannan singled through the right side to plate March and Perdigao. Following an out, third baseman Erin Garczynski doubled to left center to knock in Rabidou, who reached on a fielder's choice.

On the second pitch of the bottom of the seventh, Lavallee smacked her third home run in three games against the Dolphins over the fence in center field for the walk-off victory.
 
Sophomore righty Alexis Eastman (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs (two earned) on 11 hits over six-plus innings. Case and Andrews each finished the game with three hits, while Mascari and DeRita each had two hits. Lavallee improved to 19-6 in the circle despite allowing six runs and 12 hits.