Softball To Face No. 2 Cortland In NCAA Division III Championship First Round
SOFTBALL TO FACE NO. 2 CORTLAND STATE
IN
NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND
The Matchup: Elms College (18-11) at Cortland State
University (35-8)
Date: Thursday, May 10
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Site: Dragon Field (Cortland, NY)
Click here for directions to Cortland State
Click here for complete NCAA Division
III Championship 59-team field
Click here for complete Cortland
bracket
Click here for audio webcast of Thursday's game vs. Cortland State beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Elms College In The NCAAs: The Blazers return to the NCAA Division III Championship for the second consecutive season and third time overall. Elms College's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship was also at Cortland State back in 2003. That year, the Blazers lost 5-1 to William Patterson and 8-0 to Union College. In last year's regional at Ithaca, New York, Elms College fell 8-0 to RPI and 9-0 to Western Connecticut State University.
Setting The Scene: Elms College punched its ticket into
the NCAA Division III Championship's field of 59 following last
Saturday's 4-2 win over top-seeded Lasell College in the North
Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament championship game. The
Blazers, who entered the conference tournament as the fourth-seed,
used a three-run, sixth-inning that included a RBI double by
freshman designated player Tiffany Williams (Berlin,
CT) and RBI singles by junior first baseman
Christina Giampetruzzi (Westfield, MA) and
freshman right fielder Allyson Graffum (Ipswich,
MA). Elms College then escaped a no-outs, bases-loaded jam
in the bottom of the seventh when junior pitcher Tammie
Tremblay (Springfield, MA) recorded her fourth and final
strikeout, then induced a game-ending, double-play to help the
Blazers successfully defend their NAC Tournament title.
Scouting The Opposition: Cortland State University makes
its 13th all-time appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship
after securing an automatic berth with a 6-1 win over Plattsburgh
State in last Sunday's title game of the State University of New
York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament. The Red Dragons,
ranked 15th-nationally in last week's National Fastpitch Coaches
Association (NFCA) Top 25 Poll, have won 26 of their last 27 games.
Cortland went a perfect 23-0 in April before having that win-streak
snapped in last Friday's 5-1 loss to Buffalo State in the
double-elimination SUNYAC Tournament. The Red Dragons bring plenty
of offensive firepower and a potent one-two pitching punch into
Thursday's first-ever meeting with the Blazers. Senior shortstop
Jamie Neuner (Brewster, NY) leads Cortland with a
.442 batting average and 19 stolen bases in 20 attempts, while
junior outfielder Annemarie Nelson (Nassau, NY) is
batting .416 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 40 RBI in 43
starts. Senior pitcher Ang D'Amboise (Ballston Lake,
NY) and freshman pitcher Katie Finch(Amsterdam,
NY) have combined for 327 strikeouts and 34 of the Red
Dragons' 35 victories this season.
Tremblay Honored: Tremblay was named North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Player of the Week on Monday, May 7. She went a perfect 4-0 with a 1.81 earned run average to earn NAC Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors. Tremblay finished with 11 strikeouts, issued just four walks and allowed only seven earned runs in 27.0 innings to help the Blazers successfully defend their NAC Tournament championship and earn their third NCAA Division III Championship berth in the last five years.
Swinging A Big Stick: Giampetruzzi, who recently earned First Team All-NAC honors, has batted .419 with a team-leading six doubles and 14 RBI in the last 12 games.
Behind The Dish: Freshman catcher Kim Lastowski (Turners Falls, MA) has committed just one error in 26 starts (.993 fielding percentage) behind the plate.
Unknown Foes: The Blazers have never faced any of their potential opponents in this week's Cortland bracket.
The Streak: Giampetruzzi brings a 20-game hitting streak into Thursday's first round game.