Sporting News CT – SNCTTV

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The end result of Saturday's NCAA East Regional contest between top-seeded Southern Connecticut State University and No. 5 seeded UMass-Lowell wasn't decided until the final play of the game. However, shortstop Nicole Buch (Darien, Conn.) fired home to catcher Stacy Pouliot (Mystic, Conn.) to cut down the tying run and preserve a 5-4 Owls' win over the River Hawks. Southern Connecticut (39-10) advances to Sunday's regional final at noon and need just one more win to advance to the NCAA Super Regional.

The game was tied at 4-4 heading into the final inning. Southern Connecticut's rally began with two outs when Kate Hoffman (Orange, Conn.) placed a double into short left field. After a walk to Jessica Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.), Pouliot connected for a RBI single through the left side that plated pinch runner Alyssa Pagano (Monroe, Conn.).

In the bottom of the frame, Jayme Larson (Aurora, Colo.) sandwiched a walk to Meagan Guy around two outs. Elyssa Boris then followed with a single through the right side. Guy easily made it to third base on the hit, but Boris attempted to advance to second on the throw into the infield. The Owls made a throw to second base, but Buch alertly threw home as Guy attempted to score the tying run. Pouliot absorbed contact, but held on to the ball to secure the win.

Southern Connecticut was in control for much of the first four and a half innings. Playing as the visitors, the Owls started the game off on the right foot when Brittany Bucko (Wallington, N.J.) launched her team-high 18th home run of the year.

UMass-Lowell tied the game in the third, but SCSU countered with two runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth.

The fourth inning threat began with a single by Alyssa Downs (Seymour, Conn.), who moved to second base on an error one out later. After an intentional walk to Rosa, Pouliot laced a single up the middle to score Downs for a 2-1 lead. The next batter, Julie Muscarella (Suffield, Conn.) followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Rosa to extend the cushion to two runs.

The Owls added one more in the fifth. Buch singled, moved to second on a groundout and came in on a RBI single by Rosa.

However, the River Hawks tied the game with three runs in the fifth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases before Caelyn Ford blooped a double down the right field line that cleared the bases.

NEW HAVEN, Conn.- Jessica Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.) connected on a bases loaded RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to send the No. 16 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut softball team past Stonehill and into the next round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Tuesday afternoon at Pelz Field. SCSU defeated the Skyhawks 4-3.

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The #3 Foran Lions eliminated #2 Darien 4-1 yesterday to move onto the championship game of the CIAC Class L softball tournament. Marissa Bruno knocked in three runs for the winners.  Foran will play Bacon Academy for the Class L title on Friday night.

Enjoy the rebroadcast of the game and please visit our store to download the mp3 audio file to your digital device.

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#1 Bacon Academy powered past Masuk 3-2 to reach the the championship game of the 2011 CIAC Class L softball tournament. Alicia White's solo home run to lead off the bottom of the 6th was the difference.

Enjoy the rebroadcast of the game. Please visit our store to download the mp3 audio file to your digital device.

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The #1 seed Westhill advanced to the semifinals of the CIAC Class LL Softball tournament with a convincing win over Amity 8-2. Enjoy the rebroadcast of the game and please visit our store to download the mp3 audio file to your digital device.

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The West Haven softball team beat Sacred Heart 5-3 in SCC Quinnipiac Division showdown earlier today. You can listen to the rebroadcast of the game right here. Please visit our store to order a download of the game for your digital device.

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University softball team is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Division II East Regional ranking update. These weekly rankings are used to determine NCAA tournament selection scheduled to start after the end of the conference tournament.
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COLCHESTER, VERMONT - The Southern Connecticut State University softball team split their double header at Saint Michael’s today. The Owls won the first game in the fifth due to mercy rule, 10-4, but fell short giving up four in the bottom of the seventh to lose the second game, 4-3.

Brittany Hill (Durham, Conn.) took the mound for the first game and went five strong giving up just one earned off four hits. She improves to 5-7 on the season.

The Owls had all the momentum from the start scoring six runs in the first with three of them coming off a Kristin Whitley home run after Jillian Thibault (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) and Brittany Bucko (Wallington, N.J.) both reached base. Two batters later, Jessica Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.) cleared the base pads with a shot to center field after Stacy Pouliot (Mystic, Conn.) reached on an error to the short stop.

Back to back doubles by Robin Priest (Cheshire, Conn.) and Alyssa Pagano (Monroe, Conn.) in the top of the second put the owls up to a comfortable 9-0 lead. The Owls made the lead an even 10 off a Shawna Mallory (Simi Valley, Cali.) single to left to plate Pagano.

Jayme Larson (Aurora, Colo.) pitched an absolute gem giving up one hit through the first six and looking to record her second one hitter in less than a week when trouble struck. The Owls’ defense gave up four runs (one earned) off four hits with two errors to blow a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh

The two leadoff hitters, Thibault and Bucko, recorded two hits a piece with a run scored for Thibault and a RBI for Bucko. Julie Muscarella (Suffield, Conn.) and Jessica Bonneville (Vernon, Conn.) each scored a run.

The Owls are now 20-15 overall and 13-7 in conference.

The Owls will be back in action Monday at home against American Int'l for a makeup scheduled earlier in the season with the first pitch to go out at 3 p.m.

PRINCETON, N.J. -- In the first weekend of Ivy League softball divisional play, Harvard and Penn recorded series sweeps, Dartmouth took three-of-four from Yale and Cornell and Columbia split their series in New York.

With its four-game sweep over Brown, Harvard moved to a three-game lead in the North Division standings. Dartmouth’s three wins at Yale kept the Big Green in second place in the North. Penn’s sweep of Princeton vaulted the Quakers into second place in the South and they now trail division leaders Cornell by just one game, thanks in part to Columbia’s split with the Big Red.

PLAYER & ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman third baseman/designated player Kasey Lange (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) paced the Crimson offensive attack last week as she batted .591 over the course of seven games in which Harvard posted a 6-1 record. She totaled 18 RBI and slugged 1.182 for the week with a .593 on base percentage. Lange also played error-free softball in seven games started at third base en route to claiming both the Ivy League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors. It is her first career Player of the Week honor and her second Rookie of the Year award (April 5).

Lange opened the week with three home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Holy Cross. Also in mid-week non-conference action, Lange drove in Harvard’s lone run in its 4-1 loss to ACC rival Boston College.

Lange’s offensive momentum continued into the Crimson’s four-game sweep of North Division rival Brown over the weekend. She batted .538 versus the Bears, added eight RBI, scored three runs and recorded two doubles. With the two doubles to close out her weekend, Lange reached 17 on the year to lead the League and set the single-season record at Harvard. Lange also has an active seven-game RBI streak.

Lange’s Weekly Stats
7 GP, 22 AB, 6 R, 13 H, 18 RBI, 4 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 2 SAC, .591 Avg., 1.182 Slg.%, .593 OBP, 1.000 Fldg.%

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Prophet Gaspard (Abbeville, La.) posted a 2-1 record for Columbia last week, with all three of her appearances coming against South Division leader Cornell. Gaspard went the distance in both of her starts and also pitched 3.2 innings of relief in her final appearance of the weekend. Gaspard retired the final 19 batters she faced over the weekend, closing with a stingy 0.40 ERA and a .119 batting-average against.

Gaspard allowed just one earned run over 17.2 innings pitched. The first-year allowed just three hits in the first game of the series, and entered the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead but Ali Tomlinson connected on a two-run homer to give Cornell the come-from-behind 2-1 win in the series opening pitcher’s duel.

After Tomlinson’s home run, Gaspard scattered four hits over 10.2 innings pitched, including a four-hit, complete-game shutout on Sunday as the Big Red downed Cornell 6-0. It marks Gaspard’s second Weekly Ivy award, as she was named the League’s Rookie of the Year on March 22.

Gaspard’s Weekly Stats
0.40 ERA, 2-1, 3 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 17.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 13 SO, 3 BB

HONOR ROLL
Marissa Amiraian, Cornell, Sr., OF (Latham, N.Y.)
6 GP, 18 AB, 2 R, 8 H, 1 RBI, 1 3B, 3 BB, 1 SB, .444 Avg., .524 OBP, 1.000 Fldg.%

Chelsey Dunham, Yale, Fr., P (Fairfax Station, Va.)
1.83 ERA, 1-1, 3 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 15.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 17 SO

Evan Gray, Dartmouth, So., P (Edmond, Okla.)
1.14 ERA, 1-0, 2 App., 2 GS, 1 CG, 12.1 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB

Cailyn Hennessy, Penn, Jr., P (Freehold, N.J.)
1.00 ERA, 2-0, 2 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 14 IP, 14 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB

Maggie Johnson, Columbia, Sr., P (Danville, Calif.)
1.35 ERA, 0-1, 2 App., 2 GS, 1 CG, 10.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 7 SO, 2 BB
Batting: 4 GP, 8 AB, 3 R, 5 H, 5 RBI, 3 HR, .625 Avg., 1.000 Fldg.%

Laura Ricciardone, Harvard, Fr., P (Slidell, La.)
0.50 ERA, 2-0, 3 App., 2 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 14 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB

Allison Scott, Harvard, Fr., C (Alpine, Calif.)
7 GP, 24 AB, 5 R, 13 H, 8 RBI, 4 2B, 3 HR, .542 Avg., 1.083 Slg.%,

Molly Khalil, Dartmouth, Jr., C/DP (Seal Beach, Ontario)
4 GP, 9 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, .444 Avg., 1.000 Slg.%, .643 OBP, 1.000 Fldg.%

McKynlee Westman, Yale, Sr., C (Smithville, Mo.)
4 GP, 10 AB, 4 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 SAC, .400 Avg., .958 Fldg.%

Kelsey VandeBergh, Princeton, Jr., IF (Beaverton, Ore.)
4 GP, 9 AB, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, .556 Avg., .556 Slg.%, .692 OBP

Mikenzie Voves, Penn, Fr., P (Maple Valley, Wash.)
2.00 ERA, 2-0, 2 App., 2 GS, 2 CG, 14 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 11 SO

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Jayme Larson (Aurora, Colo.) of the Southern Connecticut State University softball team competed threw a no hitter Bentley College today at Pelz Field, while Brittany Hill (Durham Conn.) threw a one hitter. The Owls won both games on the back of two stellar performances by both starting pitchers to win the first game 5-0 and the second 6-0.

Hill improves to 3-7 on the season by throwing a one hitter through seven allowing just three base runners off a single and two walks.

In the first game, Brittany Bucko (Wallington, N.J.) led off the bottom of the fourth with a long double to the left field fence off a 0-2 count. Two outs later, Robin Priest (Cheshire, Conn.) drove in Bucko off a single to left field to put the Owls up 1-0. Bucko again had a two strike single to start off the bottom of the third, stole a base, then moved to third off an Allison Lehner (East Islip, N.Y.) slap bunt to the catcher. The very next batter Jillian Thibault (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) cleared the bases with a home run to left to put the owls up to a comfortable lead of 4-0. Stacy Pouliot (Ledyard, Conn.) singled to start off the bottom of sixth inning and was later driven in by Bucko.

In the second half of the double header, Larson threw a no hitter and started off the game mowing down eight of the first 10 batters she faced. She registered 14 strike outs on the day and improved to 10-4 on the season.

Downs started off the bottom of the second frame with a double to deep left. She moved over to third on a single by Jessica Rosa (Wallington, Conn.) and scored off an illegal pitch by the Bentley pitcher to go ahead 1-0.

Bucko gets her fourth hit of the day to lead off the bottom of the third followed by a single by Kristin Whitley (North Andover, Mass.) and both runners driven in by Downs with a double down the left field line for a 3-0 lead. Pouliot reached on a fielder’s choice followed by a shot to right by Rosa for a double to plate two. Everyone seems to hit in the bottom of the third, Jessica Bonneville follows suit with a tripled to right to score Rosa to lead 6-0.

The Owls are 17-14 overall on the season with a 10-6 conference record.

The Owls will be back in action on April 20th as they travel to Le Moyne for a double header.