Albright Eliminates Hunter in ECAC First Round, 6-5
By Joseph Myers
Reading, Pa. – Albright College got a power surge from a pair of unexpected sources early Wednesday, but then had to hold off Hunter College, 6-5, in the quarterfinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Softball Championship.
Jessica Rodriguez and Stephanie Pomante both launched their first homers of the season for the Lions (25-17), who now take on Penn State-Behrend (27-11) in the semifinals Saturday at 1 p.m. at Penn State-Behrend in Erie, Pa.
Albright had won 13 straight games before losing two straight in the MAC Commonwealth Conference Tournament and the Lions – which tied the record for most wins in a season with their victory Wednesday – showed their winning form almost from the get-go against the Hawks (20-12).
After leaving four men on base in the first two innings, Albright got on the board in the bottom of the third. Rodriguez led off the inning with a solo homer to right field and after Camille Sears reached on an infield hit, it was Pomante’s turn, taking one out to right-center field to give the Lions a 3-0 lead.
An inning later, Albright – which is making its first appearance in the ECAC Tournament – plated another pair of runs on three more hits. Brooke Yerger doubled to bring home Kelly Cambrale, who led off the frame with a single and Rodriguez got Yerger home with a double of her own, this one down the left field line, to give the Lions a 5-0 advantage.
Hunter, which fell in the finals of the CUNYAC Tournament after winning the conference regular-season title, was hampered defensively by six errors and was unable to get any sustained offense going until the top of the sixth. A walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out and Gianna Raimondi singled to left field to score Brittney Salvador and keep the bases loaded. Kayla Pilotti then grounded out, but Allyson Bricker came home to get the Hawks back to within 5-2. However, Albright pitcher Allison Melahn coaxed the next batter into popping up to end the inning with Albright still ahead by three runs.
Albright got an insurance run in the bottom half, parlaying a pair of hits and two Hunter errors into an unearned run to make it 6-2 Lions going into the seventh. As it turned out, that run would be crucial.
In the top of the seventh, Hunter got three straight singles to load the bases with one out. Bricker then doubled down the left field line to score two runs, trim the Albright lead to 6-4 and chase Melahn from the game in favor of Camille Sears. After a strikeout, Raimondi singled to left field to bring home one run, but Yerger – playing left field for the Lions – gunned down Hunter pinch-runner Camryn Roy, who tried to score from second on the play, to end the game in dramatic fashion.
Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBI, Sears was 2-for-4 with two runs scored (and earned her first save of the year) and Yerger was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Albright, which pounded out 11 hits in the game. Melahn (16-5) got the win, allowing five runs (all earned) on 10 hits with three walks and a strikeout in 6.1 innings of work. Sears allowed one hit and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
Bricker was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Raimondi finished up 2-for-4 with two RBI and Erin Schweers was 2-for-4 for the Hawks in the loss. Sarah Schor (3-1) took the loss, giving up three runs (all earned) on four hits with three walks and one strikeout in 2.1 innings.
ABOUT THE ECAC
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men's and women's sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
STAY CONNECTED
Stay updated on the latest news, championships and more by connecting with the ECAC on Facebook (ECACSports), Twitter (@ECACSports) and Instagram (@ECACSports).