BOX SCORE vs. Misericordia
BOX SCORE vs. Bethany
Bethany, WV (May 15, 2010) – Senior Kerri Andrews (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) and junior Jen Lococo (Easton, PA/Freedom) each set a single-season record in the first game and the DeSales University softball team split two games on Saturday in the ECAC South Region Tournament at Bethany College and will now need to win three games on Sunday to take home its first ECAC title in its first-ever ECAC Tournament appearance.
The Bulldogs (26-20 overall) defeated a familiar foe in the opening game on Saturday, besting Misericordia University, 3-2, in the two teams' fifth meeting of the season. DeSales is now 4-1 vs. the Cougars this season. DSU did all its scoring in the bottom of the first inning as Andrews led off with a solo home run. After junior Kate Steiner (Walnutport, PA/Northampton) singled up the middle, Lococo lifted her ninth homer of the season to give DSU a 3-1 lead.
The Lococo homer broke the single-season record of eight dingers held by Steiner and 2009 graduate Kelly Moran. Andrews laced a single to right-field in the bottom of the second inning giving her 61 hits on the year, one more than Jamie Pfitzenmayer had last season which had stood as the single-season mark.
Misericordia got within one run in the top of the fifth inning on a solo home run but senior Kristen Cybularz (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Carroll) pitched out of a first and third with two outs jam in the sixth inning and sophomore Christine Petrilla (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) recorded her first career save with a scoreless seventh inning in the win. Lococo earned the win in the circle, her 11th victory of the season, pitching the first four innings allowing four hits and just one run. Andrews and Steiner each had two hits and Lococo had two RBIs to lead the bat attack.
In the second game the winner would be sent straight to the championship game and needing just one win to clinch the ECAC title. DSU fell behind early as Bethany struck for four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back from there. BC's Emily Jump won her 23rd game in the circle limiting the Bulldogs to just two hits and just three base-runners over seven innings, striking out three.
Andrews and Petrilla had the Bulldogs' lone hits in the loss. Sophomore Katie Morrissey (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) took the loss, facing just three batters in the bottom of the first inning. Petrilla pitched six innings of terrific relief allowing just three hits and one earned run.
The Bulldogs are now in the loser's bracket championship game where they will face Misericordia University for the sixth time this season. The winner advances to the championship game and will need to beat Bethany twice to earn the ECAC Tournament title. Game time for the DSU/Misericordia game is set for 10:00 am.
