Softball Advances to NECC Championship Game

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Elms College came away with a pair of wins on the first day of double-elimination play at the 2015 New England Collegiate Conference Softball Championship and secured a spot in the title round.

The second-seeded Blazers (19-12 overall) defeated third-seeded Becker College 2-0 before posting a 6-4 win against fourth-seeded Newbury College. Elms will be making its third appearance in the NECC title round and first since 2011.

Newbury (20-12 overall) began the day with an upset of top-seeded Mitchell College by a 4-3 final in nine innings.

Becker and Mitchell faced off in the loser's bracket in a game that lasted 11 innings, the longest in the conference's postseason history. The Hawks (19-13 overall) walked off with a 3-2 win to remain in the tournament while the Mariners (17-15 overall) were eliminated. 

The NECC Softball Championship continues with two games on Saturday, May 2 at Mitchell's Alumni Field. Becker and Newbury will square off at noon, and the winner will advance to the title round to face Elms at 2 p.m. If necessary, a winner-take-all final game would be played on Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m.

Game 2 – Elms 2, Becker 0

Box Score: http://neccathletics.com/sports/sball/2014-15/boxscores/20150501_vyz2.xml

Bethany Grimes (Terryville, Conn./Terryville) turned in a stellar pitching performance in the second game to lead Elms past Becker. She surrendered only two hits and struck out nine batters over 7.0 innings while issuing only two walks.

Elms got off to a good start offensively as Kierstan Skinner (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) led off the first inning with a bullet over the left-center fence for a quick 1-0 lead. The home run was her third of the season.

Rachel Beery (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) doubled in the third as the Blazers threatened again. She moved to third on a sacrifice bunt but got no further as Becker starter Kelsey Norberg (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge) struck out the next batter to get out of the jam.

Elms tacked on another run in the fifth to go up 2-0. Skinner got things started with a stand-up double to left-center and scored on a two-out single to left by Grimes.

Grimes took a no hitter into the sixth inning but lost it when pinch hitter Magdalena Aguirre (New York, N.Y./Saint Francis) singled back up the middle. The Hawks then put runners at the corners with two outs following an infield single by Jessica Wheelahan (Watertown, Conn./Watertown), but Grimes fielded a comebacker and threw to first to end the threat.  

Skinner and Kacey Gifford (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) finished with two hits apiece to pace the Elms offense.

Norberg allowed two runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings and struck out six.

Game 4 – Elms 6, Newbury 4

Box Score: http://neccathletics.com/sports/sball/2014-15/boxscores/20150501_zpd5.xml

Grimes carried her team to the title round by driving in three runs and pitching 5.0 innings of relief to earn her second victory of the afternoon.

A two-run double into the right-center gap by Grimes put Elms on top 2-0 before Newbury even came up to bat. The Nighthawks threatened in the bottom of the frame—putting runners on second and third with only one out—but Jessica Colson (Agawam, Mass./Agawam) pitched her way out of trouble with the two-run lead intact.

Newbury produced three runs on three hits in the second inning to steal the lead. The Nighthawks loaded the bases with no outs and plated the first run on a RBI single up the middle by Liggiero, then took the lead on a two-run single to left by Kenyon.

Kenyon nearly pitched her way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third, but Elms benefitted from a fielding error to tie the game at 3-3. The Blazers then took advantage of two walks and a throwing error in the fourth to pull back in front 4-3.

Newbury put the tying run in scoring position with only one out in the fifth, but Grimes—who took over pitching duties in the third inning—worked out of trouble and kept her team in front. The Blazers then added insurance in the top of the sixth, pushing across two runs courtesy of consecutive singles by Skinner and Gifford, another Newbury miscue and a sacrifice fly by Grimes.

Newbury brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. The Nighthawks were down to their final out when Ricciotti singled to keep the game going, and Humphries followed with a double on which a fielding error in the outfield allowed a run to score. Grimes didn't let it affect her, however, and struck out the final batter to secure the win.

Kenyon (18-10 overall) gave up six runs—only two of which were earned—and struck out seven in 7.0 innings. Humphries finished with a game-high three hits while Liggiero and Kenyon each added a pair.