Center Valley, PA (April 27, 2013) – The Bulldogs banged out 15 hits including a grand slam home run from freshman Samantha Gibson in a 14-1 win in game one and a bases loaded triple from freshman DJ McCauley in the bottom of the sixth inning completed a late inning comeback for a 5-3 win in game two as DeSales earned the top seed in next weekend's Freedom Conference playoffs with two wins over King's College on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs finish the regular season with a 25-10-1 overall record and an almost unblemished Freedom record of 13-1.  DSU will be the #1 seed and will take on the #4 seed, FDU-Florham, in the first game of next weekend's double elimination tournament hosted by Wilkes University.  King's College is the #2 seed and will take on #3 seed Manhattanville College in the other first round game.  DSU and FDU start things off in the tournament on Friday at 11:00 am.  All games will be held at Wilkes University softball field.

In the first game on Saturday everything went right for the Bulldogs and nothing went right for the Lady Monarchs.  KC uncharacteristically made five errors and DSU took advantage of five walks, four in the first inning, to score four runs in the first, one in the second, seven in the third, and two more in the fourth to earn a 14-1 win.

In the first inning, senior Julie Brugger plated the first run with a bases loaded walk.  Sophomore Carly Bartholomew greeted a new Lady Monarch's pitcher with a two-RBI single to right-center and Brugger eventually scored a few batters later on a King's error.

In the second, Bartholomew knocked in McCauley with an RBI single and in the third, McCauley had an RBI single, Bartholomew a sacrifice fly, and Gibson the big blow, a grand slam just over the fence and inside the left field foul pole giving DSU a 12-0 lead.  DeSales added two more runs in the fourth on an RBI double from McCauley and an RBI single from freshman Gabby Mazza, her first career hit in her first career at-bat.

McCauley earned the win in the circle, her 13th of the season allowing just two hits over five innings and one unearned run.  She struck out five and also went 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and four runs scored.  Sophomore Taylor Kelly added two hits and three runs scored, Bartholomew was 2-for-2 with four RBIs, and sophomore Shelby Wilson had two hits to lead the offensive attack.

In the second game, King's jumped out early this time scoring once in the second on a solo home run from Maggie Gola and twice in the third on a two-RBI single from Amanda Cardone.  Sophomore Rachel Vogel did an excellent job settling down from there and keeping the Bulldogs in the game and DSU finally struck in the fourth getting one run back on an RBI infield single to the shortstop by sophomore Kayla Adanalian scoring Wilson, who had doubled.

Then in the bottom of the sixth, Adanalian made it a one-run game with a sacrifice squeeze bunt scoring senior pinch-runner Meredith Kelly and after a single from freshman Michelle Gessner and a walk by Kelly, McCauley stepped to the plate on an 0-2 count laced a fly ball down the right-field line just inside the chalk for a triple clearing the bases and giving DSU a 5-3 lead.

King's threatened in the top of the seventh inning loading the bases on a walk and two hits before McCauley re-entered the game on the mound after serving as the DP over the first six innings.  She struck out the first two batters and got the final out on a ground ball back to the pitcher ending the game and pitching out of a bases loaded, no out jam to earn her first career save.

Vogel earned her sixth win of the season scattering 10 hits over six innings allowing just three runs and striking out four.  McCauley led the offense once again with two hits and three RBIs, Gessner had two hits, Wilson had two more hits, senior Courtney McKenna had two hits and Adanalian knocked in two runs in the game two win.