Team Reached CC Softball Final For The First Time

WESTMINSTER, MD – Washington College downed Gettysburg, 2-0, in the first game of the day to reach the championship round of the Centennial Conference Softball Tournament and needed to down McDaniel twice to win its first-ever championship, but fell in the first game of the championship round to McDaniel, 9-0, in six innings due to the eight-run rule.  McDaniel wins its first conference crown since 2004 and receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The Green Terror improve to 27-12 on the season, while the Shorewomen conclude their campaign at 21-20.  The 21 victories for WC ties the 1997 and 2011 squads for wins in a season.  It was the first time that the Shorewomen Nine reached the final round of the conference tournament.

The Shorewomen, the two seed, struck in the top of the first inning on a one-out single down the first base line by freshman centerfielder Suzanne Patinella (Fallston, MD/Maryvale Prep) that plated freshman left fielder Christine Anderson (Palmer Lake, CO/Lewis-Palmer) to put WC up 1-0. 

Third seeded Gettysburg (21-17) had runners at the corners with two out in the bottom of the fourth, but senior pitcher Jill Piasecki (Galena, MD/Kent County) got Abby Ferguson to ground out to junior second baseman Shaelan Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) at second for the final out and keep it 1-0.

In the top of the fifth, sophomore catcher Kylie Nottingham (Ocean City, MD/Stephen Decatur) smoked a two-out double to the right-center field gap to score junior shortstop Lindsey Glascock (Glenwood, MD/Glenelg) to make it 2-0 Shorewomen.  Glascock kept the inning alive with a single up the middle.

In the last of the sixth the Bullets loaded the bases with one out, but Piasecki got a fielder's choice at the plate off the bat of Abby Ferguson and a groundout to shortstop off the bat of Sam Bader to escape the jam unscathed.

In the bottom of the seventh, Joy Hallfors singled up the middle with two outs to send the tying run to the plate in Emily Hall.  Hall singled to right-center on a 0-2 pitch to move Hallfors up to second and chased Piasecki from the game for freshman right fielder/pitcher Kristin Cooper (Georgetown, DE/Sussex Central) came in from right to pitch.  Adrienne Rahs came up to the dish as the game-winning run for the Bullets.  Rahs singled to the shortstop, but the ball hit Hallfors for the final out of the ballgame and the Shorewomen advanced to the conference final against top seed McDaniel, while Gettysburg was eliminated.

For WC, Piasecki got the win and improves to 8-6, while Cooper got the save, her first collegiate save.  Piasecki gave up six hits and struck out four.  At the plate, Patinella went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Glascock was 2-for-3 and a run scored.  The Shorewomen had seven hits.

For the Bullets, Rahs went 3-for-4 to lead all players in hits.  She had three of the team's seven hits.  In the circle, Lindsey Treanor took the loss and falls to 10-7.  She went the distance, striking out two and allowing only seven hits.

It was the first time since 1997 that Washington beat Gettysburg twice in a season.

Against McDaniel, the Green Terror struck for a two runs in the top of the first.  Erinne Warrenfeltz singled down the left field line with two outs to score Rachel Sidney for the game's first run and Warrenfeltz scored on another two away hit, a single to right-center by Tracy Davis to make it 2-0.

In the top of the second Jordan Beans socked a three-run line drive home run over the left field fence to put the Green Terror up 5-0.  Lauren Fusco and Sidney scored ahead of her on the two-out longball.

Davis increased the lead to 6-0 when she drove in Beans on a sacrifice fly to right-center in the top of the fifth.

McDaniel scored three times to take a 9-0 lead in the top of the sixth.  Lauren Fusco singled up the middle to score Beth Ann Fusco with nobody out to make it 7-0.  Beans then singled to right to score both Sidney and Amy Baumgardner to push it to 9-0.  The Shorewomen needed to score twice in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game alive, but they were retired in order and the game ended.

Beans sparked the Green Terror offense with a 3-for-4, five RBI, two run effort.  Sidney was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Warrenfeltz and Lauren Fusco went 2-for-3.  Davis plated a pair of runners McDaniel.  In the circle, Caroline Brehm got the complete game win and is now 21-8.  She allowed just four hits, walked two and struck out eight.

Cooper took the loss for the Shorewomen and finishes 11-7. 

Four Shorewomen played in their final games today for Washington.  They were Piasecki, seniors Meaghan Kimme (Lumberton, NJ/Holy Cross) and Sally Snover (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) and junior Brittany Walter (Forest Hill, MD/C. Milton Wright).  Walter is graduating a year early.