No. 1 Roger Williams University
No. 2 Western Connecticut State University
No. 3 Rivier College
No. 4 Curry College
No. 5 Western New England College
No. 6 Brandeis University
No. 7 Lasell College
No. 8 Fitchburg State College

Quarterfinal Games - Wednesday, May 9

Game #1 - Roger Williams 6, Fitchburg 2

Game #2 - Western Connecticut State 16, Lasell 0 (5)

Game #3 - Rivier 1, Brandeis 2

Game #4 - Curry 0, Western New England 3

Semifinals - Saturday, May 12
Game #5 - Roger Williams vs. Western New England, 10:00 a.m.
Game #6 - Western Connecticut vs. Brandeis, 12:00 noon
Game #7 - Loser of Game #5 vs. Loser of Game #6, 2:00 p.m.
Game #8 - Winner of Game #5 vs. Winner of Game #6, 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 13,
Game #9 - Winner of Game #7 vs. Loser of Game #8, 10:00 a.m.

Championship
Game #10 - Winner of Game #9 vs. Winner of Game #8, 12:00 noon

If necessary, Game #11 - Winner of Game #9 vs. Winner of Game #8, 2:00 p.m.

Game Stories

WESTERN CONNECTICUT ADVANCES IN ECAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
WITH 16-0 WIN OVER LASELL COLLEGE

DANBURY, CT - (May 9, 2007) - Junior pitcher Shelby Slie (Seymour, CT), fresh off being named Co-Pitcher of the Year in the Little East Conference, dominated Lasell College on Wednesday afternoon and the Colonials belted out 14 hits in their 16-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the ECAC Division III New England Softball Championships at Westside Field.

The Colonials, 25-13, will now face Brandeis University, which upset Rivier College in the first round, 2-1, at noon on Saturday.  The Championships move #1 seed Roger Williams University this Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and 13.  It is now a double-elimination format with games at 10 a.m., 12, 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m., 12 and 2 p.m. on Sunday.  Roger Williams defeated Fitchburg State College, 6-2 in their first round match up.  Fifth seed Western New England College upset #4 Curry, 3-0 in the final quarterfinal pairing.

Slie struck out 11 batters including eight of the first nine Lasers to come to the plate.  She allowed just one base hit, an infield single by Tiffany Perla, and improves to 13-5 on the season.  Slie raised her season strike out total to 182 in just 130 1/3 innings.

The Colonials, runners up in the LEC Tournament last weekend, raised their team batting average over .300 to .302 after scattering 14 hits over four innings.  The game was shortened by the mandated eight-run mercy rule after the top of the fifth inning.

Junior Cortney Romyns (Newton, NJ) belted her fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot in the Colonials 13-run second inning.

Senior Meg Cirigliano (Newington, CT) went 3-for-3 with a double, had three runs batted in and scored a pair of runs.  Classmate Julia Wullen (Bergenfield, NJ) also went 3-for-3 with an RBI and scored two runs.

Stacey DiMaggio went 2-for-4 with three RBI for WestConn.

Freshman righty Nicole Slader (North Smithfield, RI) took the loss and drops to 14-6 for the Lasers.  Jacqueline Losseff (Toms River, NJ) pitched the final three innings after Slader left in the second after facing four batters.

#6 SEEDED BRANDEIS RALLIES TO UPSET #3 RIVIER, 2-1, IN ECAC TOURNEY QUARTERFINALS
 
NASHUA, N.H. - The sixth-seeded Brandeis University softball team staged a seventh-inning rally today to pick up their first-ever ECAC tournament victory, 2-1, over No. 3 seed Rivier College.

Brandeis (22-19) trailed, 1-0, headed into the top of the seventh and had mustered just two hits against Rivier rookie pitcher Monica White (Augusta, Maine). The Judges led off the final inning with back-to-back bunt singles by senior CF Marissa Rubin (Teaneck, N.J.) and rookie SS Chelsea Korp (Worcester, Mass.). With junior RF Natalie Volpe (Southington, Conn.) at the plate, Rivier sophomore catcher Jenna Beadle (Rumney, N.H.) erased Rubin on the back end of a double steal to put a runner on second with one out.

On a 1-2 pitch, Volpe struck the ball down the first-base line, where it went through the legs of the Rivier first baseman, allowing Korp to score the tying run. Volpe moved to second on the throw and was sacrificed to third by rookie catcher Erin Ross (Manalapan, N.J.). That brought up sophomore 3B Samantha Worth (Londonderry, N.H.), whose ground ball snuck under the glove of the Raider third baseman and allowed the winning run to score.

Rivier (25-10) had taken the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, when they had two of their three hits off Brandeis rookie Emily Vaillette (Milford, N.H.). With one out, White singled to right field. Junior shortstop Kim Pease (Franklin, N.H.) followed with a double over the left-fielder's head, allowing White to score from first. Pease moved to third on the throw, but Vaillette got a strikeout and a fly ball to center field to end the threat.

Vaillette became the second Brandeis pitcher with six wins this season. She went the distance, striking out five and walking two to improve to 6-5 with her team-leading ninth complete game. The three hits she allowed were the fewest in any game that she finished.

The late unearned runs spoiled a fine performance by White, the Greater Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie and Pitcher of the Year. She struck out 10 Brandeis batters without issuing a walk, and gave up just four hits. White fell to 18-6 on the season.

Brandeis will now head to the semifinal round, which will be a double-elimination format at the site of the highest seed remaining. The Judges will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Western Connecticut State and Lasell at noon, with an elimination game at 2 p.m. and a winner's bracket game at 4 p.m.

Steph Ganser sets home run mark as Western New England College blanks Curry

MILTON, Mass. - With one swing of the bat junior designated player Steph Ganser (Fairfield, CT) extended the Western New England College softball season by at least two games and added her name to the school record book.

Ganser went 3-for-3, including her school best 11th homer of the season, and sophomore Laura Bower (Hudson, MA) tossed a three-hitter as fifth-seeded WNEC blanked fourth-seeded Curry College 3-0 Wednesday afternoon (May 5) in an opening round game of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Tournament at D. Forbes Will Field.

The Golden Bears scored all of their runs in the fourth inning when freshman left fielder Lauren Arsenault (Fitchburg, MA) led off the inning with a bunt single. Ganser followed with a blast to center that broke the old mark set by Donna Pronovost in 1995. Junior third base player Meredith Pacelli (Hamden, CT) then singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice by senior first base player Jes Nelson (South Hadley, MA). Sophomore shortstop Brittany DeGennaro (Orange, CT) then delivered the final run with a RBI single to right.

Bower, meanwhile, again was outstanding striking out eight and walking four in raising her record to 16-7.

Except for the fourth inning, Curry starter Kim Sturgis (19-9) also pitched a strong game, but lost her bid for a 20th win. The Colonels end their campaign with a 30-16 record.

Western New England College (29-16) will meet top-seeded Roger Williams (33-13), a 6-2 winner over eighth-seeded Fitchburg State, in the double elimination format of the tournament Saturday (May 12) in Bristol, Rhode Island. 

Hawks Softball Advance in ECAC Tournament

Bristol, RI- The RWU softball team (33-12) extended their outstanding season with another win Wednesday as they defeated Fitchburg State College, 6-2. The Hawks advance to the semifinals where they'll host the winner of Curry and WNEC, Saturday, at 10 a.m.

After letting up one run in the first and another in the second, RWU settled-in to hold the Falcons scoreless the rest of the way. Senior pitcher Laura McAbee (Fairfield, OH), Commonwealth Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, allowed just six hits in seven innings pitched and improved her overall record to 19-3.

Junior short stop Callie Nealon (Hopkinton, MA) went 3-4 on the day, including one of the Hawks three doubles registered on the day. Seniors Jacquie Cammarata (Randolph, NJ) and Gina Mariano (Worcester, MA) also tallied the extra base hit.

Fitchburg State's senior Michelle Yuille (New Bedford, MA) suffered the loss, allowing 14 hits and six earned runs.

The Hawks win pits the team against Western New England College, which defeated Curry College, 3-0, Wednesday afternoon. Game time is scheduled for 10 a.m.