BOX SCORE

Union, N.J. (May 10, 2012) - The fourth-seeded College of New Jersey (26-15) scored a run on a two-out single to left in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 2-1 win over #5 Alvernia University (36-10) Thursday afternoon in game two of the NCAA Division III Softball Championships Union Regional.

The Crusaders got on the board first with a fourth-inning, solo homer off the bat of junior first baseman Danielle Kitchen (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley), and TCNJ was able to manufacture a run in the sixth to tie.  Lindsay Williams--who also had the walk-off hit--opened the sixth with a bunt single.  Crystal Lee reached on a fielder's choice to put two on with no one out and the Lions sacrificed the runners up to second and third.  Alvernia starter Brittanie Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) nearly escaped getting Williams on a tag play at the plate on a comebacker, but Liz Huttner drilled an 0-1 pitch to the gap in right to plate Lee and tie the game.

Alvernia mounted a threat with two runners on in the seventh, but both were stranded.  Amanda Galanti (Red Bank, N.J./Marine Acad. of Sci/Tech) reached with a one-out single--her third of four hits on the day--and Jackie Torres (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) followed with an infield single, but TCNJ starter Lauren Fitzsimons got fly outs to center and left to end the inning.

The Lions had the potential winning run on base in both the seventh and eighth innings, but failed to score.  Alvernia had a two-out runner in Galanti in the ninth.

Wolfe went eight and two-thirds innings giving up the two runs--both earned--on 11 hits with no walks.  Torres, Kitchen, and Sam Penk (Lincroft, N.J./Lincroft) had a hit apiece and Galanti went 4-for-4.

The Crusaders fall into the losers bracket of the regional tournament and will face #8 Baruch College (17-26) Friday morning at 10:00.  The Bearcats lost to #1 Montclair State (39-5) in the tournament opener, 8-0 on Thursday morning.

#4 TCNJ 2, #5 Alvernia 1 (9)