BOX SCORE

Reading, PA (May 15, 2011) – Senior Jen Lococo went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs to earn Most Outstanding Player honors leading the DeSales University softball team past Misericordia University, 7-6, to capture the Bulldogs' second straight ECAC South Region Championship on Sunday afternoon at Alvernia University.

The Bulldogs finish the season with a 26-13 overall record, sweeping all four games in this year's ECAC South Region Tournament. The win also marks the end of a career for the four DSU seniors including Lococo, Kate Steiner, Kristin Schultz, and Sharon Yudt. The four combined to post a four-year record of 108-63 including one Freedom Conference Championship and two ECAC South Region Championships.

Misericordia opened up a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Sunday afternoon on a sacrifice fly from Hollie Sarnak scoring junior Maria Kidron who doubled to lead-off the game, but the Bulldogs wasted no time coming back as Steiner led off the bottom half of the first with a solo homer, her second of the year, and the 19th of her career, tying Lococo for second place all-time.

Schultz and Lococo then ripped back-to-back doubles to make it a 2-1 game and Lococo later scored to make it 3-1 on a single off the bat of junior Christine Petrilla.

The Cougars took a 6-3 lead in the top of the second inning scoring five times on a three-run homer from Emily Barnable and a two-run dinger from Sarnak. Once again DSU had the answer as Lococo tied the school-record for home runs with the 20th of her career and the seventh of the season, a three-run shot in the bottom of the second inning plating junior Brianna Chilcoat and Schultz.

The pitchers then settled into a groove from that point as MU's Caitlin Cromley and freshman Brittany Wilson combined to toss up scoreless innings in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. In the top of the sixth, Wilson again retired Misericordia to keep the game tied and DSU finally broke thru with the game-winner in bottom of the sixth inning.

Chilcoat lead off the inning with a bunt single and moved to second on an error on the right-fielder backing up the throw to first. Steiner sacrificed Chilcoat to third and Schultz delivered the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly to center field. Wilson then worked around a lead-off single by the Cougars in the seventh to preserve the one-run lead and give DSU its second straight ECAC title.

Wilson, who entered the game with just 18.2 innings pitched on the season, pitched a solid 5.1 innings of four-hit shutout relief to improve to 3-0 on the year. DSU's top three hitters of Steiner-Schultz-Lococo led the offensive attack combining to go 6-for-10 with five runs scored and six RBIs in the win. Sophomore Julie Brugger also had two hits and Chilcoat scored twice in the win.