BOX SCORE

Union, N.J. (May 11, 2012) - Sophomore Sam Penk (Lincroft, N.J./Lincroft) homered and drove in three runs and sophomore Amanda Galanti (Red Bank, N.J./Marine Acad. of Sci/Tech) plated the final two runs of the game to lead Alvernia University (37-10) to its first ever NCAA Softball Championship win, an 8-0 decision over Baruch College (17-27) Friday morning at the Union Regional hosted by Kean University.

Brittanie Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) scattered five hits over five innings and needed just 51 pitches to improve to 22-6.  The Crusaders survive their first elimination game and will face the loser of the Rowan / Centenary game on Saturday at noon.

Alvernia opened the scoring Friday the same way it did Thursday, with a solo home run.  This time it came off Penk's bat with one out in the first inning.  Wolfe worked a 1-2-3 inning in the second on three pitches and worked around a one-out single in the third.  That's when the offense went to work to widen its lead.

Jackie Torres (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) reached on a throwing error to start the inning and another throwing error by the Bearcats' pitcher allowed Miranda Peto (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) to reach second and Torres third with one out.  Penk ripped a single to left center to score both runners with Peto sliding in ahead of the tag.  Shannon Grim (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) tripled to right center and Danielle Kitchen (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) tripled to left center to put the Crusaders up 5-0.  Diane Lightner (Gaithersburg, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) grounded out to short to score Kitchen and the Crusader enjoyed a 6-0 lead through three.

Neither team scored in the fourth and Wolfe was aided by a fly ball double play to Peto in left to get out of the fifth.  Grim and Kitchen led off the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back singles and after a pop out and ground out, Galanti singled to the gap in left center to drive in both runners and end the game by the 8-run rule.

Galanti went 2-for-3 in the game and is now 6-for-7 in the regional.  Penk was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs, and Grim and Kitchen had identical lines also going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.  Baruch got five base hits--all singles--from five different players.

The Crusaders--in their first NCAA regional appearance--pick up their first win.  If they can pick up their second win on Saturday, they would continue play Saturday afternoon at 4:00.  At that point they would need two more wins to reach the championship round on Sunday.

#5 Alvernia 8, #8 Baruch 0 (5)