BOX SCORE Reading, Pa. (May 2, 2014) – Fourth-seeded Alvernia University (19-13) built a 6-1 lead then held on for a 6-5 win over #3 Widener University (21-11) in game four of the Commonwealth Conference Softball Championships at Angelica Park.
Widener sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh and plated four runs with the potential tying run at second base, Liz Antonucci hit a grounder to short that
Katie Manowski (Grasonville, Md./Kent Island) fielded cleanly and fired on to first to end the game.
The Pride opened the inning with back-to-back singles then pinch runner Michelle Hedricks was thrown out at the plate by
Felicia McKenna (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) trying to score from second on a single to center. Widener followed with a two-run double then a run-scoring single that chased Alvernia starter
Brianna Fisher (Erial, N.J./Timber Creek Regional) who went six and a third giving up five runs on 11 hits.
Brittanie Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) took the ball in relief and walked the first batter she saw to put runners on first and second. She got a fielder's choice grounder to second that Same Penk (Lincroft, N.J./Middletown South) and Manowski nearly turned into a game-ending double play, but Jackie Korang beat the relay throw to first.
Taylor Church followed with an RBI-single to right moving Korang to second, but Wolfe got the grounder to end it.
Alvernia advances in the losers bracket of the double-elimination tournament and will face #5 Arcadia which lost 11-1 to Messiah. The top-seeded Falcons face #2 Lebanon Valley in the winners bracket final Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
The Crusaders opener the scoring with a solo homer in the second off the bat of
Amanda Turner (New Hyde Park, N.Y./New Hyde Park), her second of the day. They took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third when Penk ripped a single to left and took second when the ball skipped past the leftfielder. She stole third when the catcher tried to throw in behind her at second and the throw down to third skipped off her helmet allowing her to score.
Widener got a run back in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring double by Carissa Harris, but Alvernia catcher
Amanda Galanti (Red Bank, N.J./Marine Academy of Sci/Tech) limited the damage picking a runner off third.
Alvernia had its big inning in the fifth plating three runs on three hits and a hit batter.
Aly Shilling (Blue Bell, Pa./Christopher Dock) delivered the big blow, a two-out, two-run single to left. McKenna added what turned out to be the deciding run after drawing a leadoff walk in the sixth.
Manowski and Penk both collected two hits at the plate. Penk scored twice while Manowski scored once and drove in another.
#4 Alvernia 6, #3 Widener 5
