FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Last season the Johnson & Wales University softball team made history when it became the school's first women's program to win an NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats repeated that feat in this year's tournament, but came up just short of producing another victory as they dropped a 6-1 decision to Williams College and were eliminated from the tournament.
Records:
Johnson & Wales: 32-12
Williams: 34-10
Of Note:
Even with the loss, Johnson & Wales still had the best season in school history. The 32 wins are a school record and the Wildcats won their second GNAC Tournament in a row.
Johnson & Wales looked like it was going to pick up the offense where it left off from earlier in the day against Williams in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, designated player Diana Amendolara (Newtown, Pa.) blasted a solo home run over the left field fence. Unfortunately, that would the lone JWU run of the game as the Wildcats only managed three hits off Ephs starter Alejandra Magana.
Playing in her final collegiate game, catcher Kristen Solari (Old Bridge, NJ) went 2-for-2. She finished her JWU career with a school-record 199 hits and .385 batting average.
Four-straight singles in the top of the third inning was just enough offense for Williams. Johnson & Wales starter Jennifer Corona (Middle Island, NY), gave up six runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts.
Johnson & Wales should be poised for another NCAA Tournament run as it returns eight of the nine starters off a team that was top-10 in the country in batting average. JWU will have to replace starters Solari and second baseman Angelica Reyes (Arleta, Calif.).
Earlier in the day on Saturday, the JWU bats came out in their NCAA Tournament opener against Williams College, but the Wildcats couldn't sustain the momentum in game two. JWU started the day with a 9-0 victory over the host Ephs in five innings then lost 5-0 to MIT.
Continuing the game that was postponed on Friday due to rain in the top of the 1st with JWU leading 3-0, the Wildcats kept the bats hot. Before the game was halted, Emily Schaper (Pompton Lakes, NJ) and pitcher Jennifer Corona (Middle Island, NY) delivered RBI singles.
Five of the next six runs were delivered off the long ball. Following a ground-out RBI by catcher Kristen Solari (Old Bridge, NJ) in the top of the second, first baseman Emily Gorecki (Bremerton, Wash.) delivered a two-run home run – her 11th of the season - to left field that chased Williams' starter Brooke Bovier out of the game. Reliever Mackenzie Murphy didn't fare any better in the fourth inning when Schaper took her over the right fence with a three-run bomb to put JWU up 9-0.
That was more than enough offense for Corona as she threw a two-hit gem. She struck out a pair of batters and only issued one walk as she improved to 21-5. She wouldn't be as lucky in game two as the Engineers scored three runs, two earned, on seven hits.
Seven out of the nine hitters in the line-up picked up at least one hit. Gorecki and Schaper led the way with three hits each. Gorecki scored three times and Schaper drove in four. GNAC Rookie of the Year Brenna DuPerry (Cranston, RI) extended her hitting streak to 16 games in the opener, but had it stopped by MIT.
Johnson & Wales couldn't keep the offense going in game two against a tough MIT pitcher. The Wildcats were held to just three hits – one off their season low – by MIT hurler Alexandra Marshall. The only JWU hitter to figure out the NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year was designated player Tiffani Semanchik (Flemington, NJ) as she went 2-for-3. Gorecki picked up the other Wildcat hit.
With two runners on and one for MIT in the top of the fifth, a throwing error allowed the first run of the game to score. A single and a groundout plated the other two runs.