Season Photo Gallery

Wilkes-Barre, PA (May 3, 2013) – Freshman DJ McCauley was perfect thru five innings and freshman Michelle Gessner and sophomore Shelby Wilson each had two-out RBI hits leading the DeSales University softball team past Manhattanville College, 3-2, to advance to tomorrow's Freedom Conference Championship game at the Ralston Athletic Complex.

The championship game appearance marks the third time the Bulldogs have advanced to the title game and it is just the second time thru the winner's bracket with the only other time coming in 2008 when DeSales won its first and only Freedom Conference title.  DSU will play whomever survives the first two games on Saturday morning and will need just one win to take home its second Freedom Conference championship.

The Bulldogs once again started quickly scoring twice in the second inning when Gessner hit a bloop single into right-center field plating freshman Samantha Gibson and Wilson.  DSU added a third run in the bottom of the third on another two-out single from Wilson plating sophomore Carly Bartholomew.

McCauley, who was perfect thru the first five innings did the rest, despite a hiccup in the sixth inning.  MVille's Alyx Scapperotti broke up the perfect game with a bunt single right in front of the plate and after a comebacker to the mound on the next batter, McCauley turned and fired the ball into centerfield allowing Scapperotti to score and the batter to go to third base.

She settled down and got out of the inning with just two runs scored and in the seventh set down the Valiants in order after a lead-off single by senior Jessica Van Galen to earn her 15th win of the season.  Overall, McCauley allowed just four hits and two unearned runs, striking out six and not walking a batter.

Gessner finished the game 3-for-3 with two RBIs and was a combined 4-for-6 in the two games on Friday.  Wilson added two hits as part of a nine hit attack for the Bulldogs in game two.