Softball 5/2/2009 6:48:13 PM BJ Spigelmyer - DeSales SID

Bulldogs Fall in Freedom Title Game after Big Semifinal Comeback

Sophomore Sharon Yudt congratulates junior Kerri Andrews after scoring the game-winning run in game one on Saturday.

BOX SCORE (vs. Misericordia)

BOX SCORE (vs. King's)

Edwardsville, PA (May 2, 2009) – The DeSales University softball team showed tremendous guts and heart coming back from a five-run deficit in the semifinals to advance to the Freedom Conference Championship game but ultimately ran out of gas, falling to King's College, 6-3, in the championship game on Saturday afternoon at the Ralston Complex.

DSU ends its season with a 25-15 overall record, while King's improves to 24-12 and advances to the NCAA Tournament, earning the Freedom Conference's automatic bid into the tournament.

The first game on Saturday was an instant classic. The Bulldogs took an early lead, 1-0, when sophomore Jen Lococo (Easton, PA/Freedom) singled home senior Jamie Pfitzenmayer (Annandale, NJ/Hunterdon Central) in the first inning. The Cougars then scored twice in the second inning and four times in the fourth including a three-run home run from Hollie Sarnak to take a 6-1 lead.

DSU had an answer in the bottom of the fourth when senior Kelly Moran (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) blasted a three-run home run of her own well over the left-center field fence to cut the margin down to 6-4. The Cougars however, kept hitting, scoring three more times in the fifth to take a 9-4 lead.

DeSales showed tremendous heart and guts over the final three innings. DSU got one run back in the fifth when senior Amanda Kensecki (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) singled home Pfitzenmayer and completed its comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning with four miraculous runs to tie the game at nine. In the seventh, Andrews started things with a single, Lococo also singled with one out scoring Andrews, and sophomore Kate Steiner (Walnutport, PA/Northampton) hustled out an infield single putting runners on first and second.

Moran grounded the ball up the middle but Steiner hustled to second and beat the second baseman to the bag, loading the bases with one out. Sophomore Kristin Schultz (Laurys Station, PA/Parkland) hit a ground ball to third, but Steiner refused to be thrown out and she again beat the third baseman to the bag as Lococo scampered home and the bases were once again loaded with one out. Freshman Katie Morrissey (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) came to the plate for just the third time all season and she hit a slow roller up the middle, past the pitcher, and past a diving shortstop into shallow centerfield as Steiner and Moran crossed home plate, tying the game.

The inning ended with an interference call on Morrissey running to third on a Pfitzenmayer ground ball but DSU had tied the game forcing extra innings. Morrissey shut down the Cougars, recording the only 1-2-3 inning of the game in the top of the eighth and the Bulldog offense went to work again in the bottom of the inning. Andrews nearly ended the game with a walk-off home run to right-center but her blast hit halfway up the wall and she cruised into second with a lead-off double. Kensecki moved her over to third and Lococo came thru with a hard single off the wall in left-field plating Andrews with the game-winner.

Andrews finished game on with four hits and two runs scored, Pfitzenmayer scored twice and broke the single-season record for hits with a base hit in the fifth inning. Lococo had three hits and three RBI's, sophomore Sharon Yudt (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) had two hits, Moran knocked in three runs and scored twice and Steiner also scored twice. Morrissey collected the win, her 14^th of the season, pitching five innings of relief, allowing six runs and striking out five.

In the second game, DeSales once again took an early lead when junior Kyra Monarek (Allentown, PA/Parkland) singled home Steiner in the top of the second inning. King's answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring six times on six hits and one DSU error to take a 6-1 lead.

The Bulldogs once again had an answer, cutting the deficit down to three runs with two tallies in the top of the third inning as Pfitzenmayer homered and Moran singled home Kensecki. DSU went quietly in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, but brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, before Steiner lined out to third ending the game.

Lococo took the loss allowing five runs; four earned over one inning pitched. Morrissey was tremendous in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings allowing just two hits. Kensecki had two hits as six different Bulldogs recorded hits in the loss.

The Bulldogs finish the season with 25 wins, the second straight year they have won 25+ games and only the third time in school history the softball program has recorded 25+ wins.

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