PROVIDENCE, RI - Eastern Connecticut defeated Saint Joseph's College, 5-1, in game 11 at the Providence Regional of the 2011 NCAA Div. III Softball Championship played at Rhode Island College's Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex.
The Warriors advance to the championship game on Sunday, May 15 (noon). The Monks will face with winner of the Coast Guard vs. Rhode Island College (game 12, 4 p.m.) contest tomorrow morning (10 a.m.) in an elimination game.
Junior pitcher Molly Rathbun (Hebron, CT) stayed unbeaten both overall and at the regional, winning her third straight NCAA decision and improving to 22-0 on the season. She allowed one run on four hits in a nine-strikeout performance.
Freshman shortstop Megan Godwin (Manchester, CT) led off the bottom of the first by crushing a double to left field that hit the bottom of the fence. She was sacrificed to third and came home on Rathbun's RBI grounder to shortstop. Rathbun reached on a throwing error and sophomore third baseman Arielle Cooper (Mystic, CT) drew a walk. The pair moved up a station on a passed ball and both scored on senior designated player Rachel Soychak's (Mahopac, NY) single to left field to stake the Warriors to a 3-0 lead.
Freshman second baseman Jen Tamindzija (Malden, MA) led off the second with a single, moved over to second on a wild pitch, was sacrificed to third and came home on an RBI single by junior center fielder Rosie Manzo (Hudson, MA), making the score 4-0.
St. Joe's became the first team to notch a hit and a run against Rathbun at the regional as junior catcher Maria Labbe (Lewiston, ME) led off with a single that just went under the glove of a diving Godwin. She was sacrificed to second and scored on freshman second baseman Connie Grovo's (Limington, ME) two-out RBI double of the left field wall. The Monks were able to load the bases, but Rathbun closed out the frame with a strikeout.
Prior to the Monks' hits and runs, Rathbun had not allowed a hit in 15.2 innings pitched at the tournament and in her last 17.2 overall innings of work. She also had not allowed a run in her last 22 innings pitched.
Eastern threatened to add to its lead with a runner aboard and two down in the fifth, but senior Emily Leverone (Hampton, NH) made an outstanding catch up against the wall in straight away center field just under the 225 ft. mark to rob Rathbun of an RBI and certain extra bases.
SJC junior pitcher Maddie Kluna (Standish, ME) settled down nicely after a rocky first inning. She allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on five hits. She gave way to freshman Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, MA) to start the bottom of the sixth and Cooper smashed her first offering over the wall in left center field for her seventh home run of the year.
Godwin went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Soychak went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Kluna took the loss for SJC (14-4).
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