FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - For most of the season the Johnson & Wales University softball team has been an offensive juggernaut. With a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line, the Wildcats did what they do best: hit. JWU routed Emmanuel 12-3 in five innings on Sunday to claim its second GNAC Tournament Championship in a row.
Records:
Emmanuel: 26-17
Johnson & Wales: 31-10
JWU Statistical Leaders:
Emily Gorecki: 3-3, 2 Runs, 1 RBI
Brenna DuPerry: 2-3, 4 RBIs, 3 Runs
Tiffani Semanchik: 2-3, 2 Runs
Angelica Reyes: 2-3, 3 RBIs, 1 Run
Of Note:
After winning the program's first GNAC title last year, Johnson & Wales is just the fourth softball team to repeat as GNAC tournament champion. The Wildcats continue to increase their school record for wins in a season.
The Wildcats will now wait to find out who they'll draw in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to be played next weekend. The selection show is Monday at 1 p.m. Last year they won the first NCAA game by a JWU women's program when they beat Eastern Connecticut State, 6-3.
Johnson & Wales got all the offense it would need with eight runs in the bottom of the first inning. After the Saints jumped out to a 2-0 lead, senior catcher Kristen Solari (Old Bridge, NJ) belted a three-run home run to score Brenna DuPerry (Cranston, RI) and Meghan Gavin (Wallingford, Conn.). Emily Gorecki (Bremerton, Wash.) followed with a solo home run.
DuPerry came back up again in the first – JWU sent 13 hitters to the plate in the opening frame – and smacked an RBI double that scored Angelica Reyes (Arleta, Calif.) and Jennifer Corona (Middle Island, NY). The freshman DuPerry ended the game in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run. She extended her hitting streak to 15 games with a 2-for-3 performance that included four RBIs and three runs scored.
Notching her 20th win of the season was Corona as she gave up three runs, two earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts. She pitched all four victories for the Wildcats in the tournament and earned GNAC Tournament MVP honors. Also earning a spot on the All-Tournament team was Gorecki, Solari and DuPerry.
Eight of the nine Wildcats in the starting lineup reached base and six had at least one hit. Gorecki had a game-high three hits and scored a pair of runs. Joining DuPerry with a pair of base hits was Tiffani Semanchik (Flemington, NJ) and Reyes.
"It was great timing to play our best softball of the season and string something special together in the postseason," JWU head coach Kim Camera-Harvey said. "These ladies were clicking on all cylinders and I couldn't be more proud of them. They worked hard all year for this and deserved to be champions! The road was not easy but these women played their hardest and earned the right to be conference champions."
First Round - Tuesday, May 3 (single elimination)
Game 1: #5 Emmanuel 5, #8 Mount Ida 4 | BOX
Game 2: #7 Albertus Magnus 1, #6 Saint Joseph's Maine 0 | BOX
Second Round - Friday, May 6 (double-elim begins)
Game 3: #5 Emmanuel 5, #4 Norwich 0 | BOX
Game 4: #3 Johnson & Wales 5, #7 Albertus Magnus 1 | BOX
Game 5: #5 Emmanuel 9, #1 Suffolk 7 | BOX
Game 6: #3 Johnson & Wales 6, #2 USJ 3 | BOX (completed Saturday)
Semifinals - Saturday, May 7 (hosted by #1 Suffolk)
Game 7: #1 Suffolk 9, #7 Albertus Magnus 5 | BOX (Albertus eliminated)
Game 8: #2 USJ 6, #4 Norwich 1| BOX (Norwich eliminated)
Game 9: #3 Johnson & Wales 8, #5 Emmanuel 0 | BOX
Game 10: #1 Suffolk 7, #2 USJ 2 | BOX (USJ eliminated)
Game 11: #5 Emmanuel 9, #1 Suffolk 1 | BOX (Suffolk eliminated)
Championship - Sunday, May 8 (hosted by #1 Suffolk, East Boston Memorial Park)
Game 12: #3 Johnson & Wales 12, #5 Emmanuel 3 (5 innings) | BOX (Emmanuel eliminated)