EAST BOSTON, Mass. – The fifth-seeded Johnson & Wales University softball team came through the loser's bracket and won three games today at American Legion Playground in East Boston, Mass., including two vs. second-seeded Albertus Magnus College to take home the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats defeated Saint Joseph's College (Maine), 4-2, in the first contest of the day, before shutting out Albertus Magnus to force a winner-take-all deciding game. Johnson & Wales held on for a 4-3 victory over the Falcons to earn the GNAC crown.
The Wildcats went 5-1 in the tournament to improve to 21-14 on the season. Saint Joseph's ended the tourney with a 27-13 season mark, while Albertus Magnus is now 24-13.
Johnson & Wales 4, Saint Joseph's 2
The Wildcats scored all the runs they would need in the day's first game with three runs in the bottom of the third vs. Saint Joseph's. Solari knocked in Johnson & Wales' first run of the game with a double down the left field line to score junior shortstop Cynthia Proby (Bremerton, Wash.), who had singled. Solari later scored on a wild pitch to give the Wildcats a 2-1 edge, before an RBI single from Schaper gave Johnson & Wales a two-run lead after three innings of play. The Monks got a run back in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from freshman Alyssa Dennett (Augusta, Maine) to make it 3-2, but Johnson & Wales scored the final run of the game, while holding Saint Joseph's scoreless for the final three frames. Solari scored her second run of the game when she singled to lead off the inning and later came around to score on a Schaper triple to left field for the Wildcats.
The Monks cracked the scoring column in the top of the first inning when senior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) drew a two-out walk, took two bases on a wild pitch to end up on third and scored on the front end of a double–steal attempt. Saint Joseph's later put a pair of runners on base in its half of the seventh, but an infield pop-up ended the threat.
Freshman Jennifer Corona (Middle Island, N.Y.) picked up the victory to improve to 15-8 for after hurling all seven innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and five walks and six strikeouts for Johnson & Wales. Hendrix (7-2) suffered the loss for Saint Joseph's, yielding three runs on seven hits and three walks, while fanning two batters.
Solari pounded out three hits to lead the Wildcats, while Proby and Schaper each had two hits. Dennett registered a hit and knocked in a run to lead the Monks.
Johnson & Wales 6, Albertus Magnus 0
Corona threw a two-hit shutout in the day's middle game against Albertus Magnus to keep Johnson & Wales alive for the championship. Neither team could score a run through the first five innings of a game where hits were at a premium. The Wildcats broke through in the sixth with the first run of the contest when Eads drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a throwing error for a 1-0 edge. Johnson & Wales scored five times in the sixth with two outs to give it some breathing room for the rest of the contest. Corona helped her own cause with an RBI single, while Eads also plated a run with a single for a 3-0 lead. Proby and Solari each knocked in single runs with respective base hits, before Proby scored herseld on a passed ball to give the Wildcats six runs.
Corona picked up her 16th win of the year giving up three walks and struck out three in seven innings for Johnson & Wales, while freshman starting pitcher Megan Ferraro (Branford, Conn.) (8-5) allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a pair of walks to go with a pair of strikeouts for the Falcons.
Corona rapped out a pair of hits and knocked in a run to lead the Wildcats' offense, while freshman catcher Daysia Wehder (Queens, N.Y.) and Urciuoli each collected a hit for Albertus Magnus.
Johnson & Wales 4, Albertus Magnus 3
Johnson and Wales did not score a run in the championship game until the fifth inning and trailed, 2-0, entering the frame. The Wildcats cut the deficit in half when freshman right fielder Alex Fantasia (Framingham, Mass.) roped a two-out single up the middle and moved to third on a double off the bat of freshman third baseman Eileen Eads (Portsmouth, R.I.), before scampering home on a wild pitch. Johnson & Wales carried its momentum into the sixth inning when junior catcher Kristen Solari (Old Bridge, N.J.) singled to open the frame and later scored on a throwing error to knot the game at 2-2. The Wildcats later loaded the bases on a double by sophomore designated player Emily Schaper (Pompton Lakes, N.J.) and sophomore left fielder Kaycee Babineau (Medway, Mass.) taking a pitch off her body to be awarded first base. Freshman relief pitcher Noelle Weiss (Hartland, Wis.) worked a four-pitch walk to force in the go-ahead run for the Wildcats. Johnson & Wales tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly from Fantasia to give the Wildcats a 4-2 margin.
Albertus Magnus got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when sophomore first baseman Amanda Jessey (East Haven, Conn.) doubled to left center and later scored on a two-bagger by freshman third baseman Gillian Fortier (Naugatuck, Conn.) to pull the Falcons to within 4-3, but they were unable to score for the remainder of the contest, despite a leadoff single from first year designated player Melissa Castillo (Taftville, Conn.) in the seventh.
Albertus Magnus scored single runs in each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead. Fortier led off the inning with a single and later scored on a run-producing single from junior left fielder Alyssa Puccilli (Milford, Conn.). The Falcons got their leadoff batter on base again in the second when sophomore right fielder Megan Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.) doubled and later raced home on a sacrifice fly to right field from senior center fielder Brittney Urciuoli (Newington, Conn.).
Weiss (3-3) earned the victory for Johnson & Wales, allowing one run on six hits and a walk, while setting down a batter on strikes in four and a third innings of relief work. Sophomore starting pitcher Shyleen Ortiz (New Britain, Conn.) was saddled with the loss for Albertus Magnus after giving up four runs on seven hits in five and a third innings.
Solari and Fantasia each collected two hits to lead Johnson & Wales, while Fortier and Castillo each had three hits apiece to pace the Falcons.
The GNAC announced an All-Tournament Team and Most Valuable Player following the conclusion of the championship game.
Emmanuel College's Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Jill Kilcoyne (Worcester, Mass.) earned spots, while Saint Joseph's Hendrix and Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) were named. Kelly, Ferraro and Brianna Whitfield (West Islip, N.Y.) all got the nod for Albertus Magnus, while Solari, Schaper and Emily Gorecki (Bremerton, Wash.) were chosen for Johnson & Wales. Corona was named the Tournament MVP for the Wildcats as well.
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