Softball Splits At NEWMAC Tournament

NORTON, Mass., April 27, 2003 – Springfield College, the second seed, hosts third-seed Coast Guard at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at Potter Field in an elimination game of the double-elimination New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Tournament. The winner faces top-seed Wheaton on Tuesday.

The Pride split two games on Sunday.

Game 1: Coast Guard 7, SC 6
Box score/Play-by-play
Freshman Stephanie Adams hit a three-run double in the top of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 deadlock and Coast Guard held on for a 7-6 victory over Springfield College.

SC struck first, as sophomore Brianne Pearson (Brockton, Mass.) singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Advancing to second on a sacrifice, Pearson scored on an RBI single by senior Ali Gerrish (Plymouth, Mass.) to make it 1-0. Coast Guard responded with a pair of runs in the second and third innings to take a 4-1 advantage. The Bears used singles from Adams and sophomore Adrian Harris and a two-run double from senior Sarah Carter in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. Freshman Stephanie Kimmel and senior Leslie Kagami then hit back-to-back doubles to highlight a two-run third inning.

Springfield did not quit, plating two runs in the bottom of the fifth to narrow the score to 4-3. In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Laurie Cersosimo (West Hartford, Conn.) posted a one-out triple and was brought home on a double by Amanda Johansson (Leominster, Mass.) to tie the game at 4-4. The lead would not last, as the Bears loaded the bases in the top of the seventh on a single, a walk and a hit batter. After a pop out to second, Adams posted her three-run double. In the bottom of the seventh, SC made things interesting as Gerrish blasted a two-run home run, her fourth of the season, to right field. Sophomore hurler Jen Paulson got the final batter to fly out to end the game.

Paulson picked up the win of the mound, tossing a complete game with four strikeouts and a walk. Pearson took the loss for Springfield, as she struck out three and walked two in seven innings. Offensively, Adams was 2-for-4 with four runs batted in, while Pearson led SC, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Gerrish added two hits and two RBI for the Pride.

Game 2: SC 1, Smith 0
Box score/Play-by-play
Sophomore catcher Missy Edwards (Calverton, N.Y.) drilled a two-out RBI double to lift the Springfield College to a 1-0 victory over Smith College in the elimination game of the NEWMAC Tournament.

Neither team was able to muster much offense, as the two teams combined for three hits in the first five innings of play. In the top of the fifth, Smith provided the first scoring chance of the game as Naomi Greckol-Herlich reached first base on a fielding error. Pinch running for Greckol-Herlich, Emily Downs advanced to second on a sacrifice and then moved to third on a single by Amanda Thompson. Springfield pitcher Brianne Pearson, however, forced a fly out to end the inning and the game remained scoreless.

The Pride finally broke through in the sixth. With two outs, senior Ali Gerrish singled to left field, setting up Edwards' game-winning double. The Pioneers threatened one last time in the top of the seventh, as Nicole Caffrey led off the inning with a single. Advancing on a sacrifice, Caffrey made it to third base on an SC error off the bat of Dasen Woitkowski. With one out, Pearson settled down, forcing a pair of groundouts to end the game.

Pearson pitched a complete-game shutout, yielding only three hits, striking out four and walking one in picking up her 16th win of the year. Freshman Kristen Maroney gave up one run on four hits while fanning three batters in 5.2 innings of work for the Pioneers. Offensively, Gerrish was the game's lone multiple hitter, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Team Links

Head Coach Julie Perrelli

Julie Perrelli was been named an Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Head Softball Coach at Springfield College in June of 2009. The head softball coach at Smith for the past three years, Perrelli received both her doctorate (this past May) and her masters in 2004 from Springfield College, where she served as a graduate assistant for the Pride from the 2003 through 2006 seasons. Read more.

Contact Head Coach Julie Perrelli

E-Mail | Phone: 413.748.3127

Springfield College 263 Alden Street, Springfield, MA 01109-3797 413.748.3000 | Employment at SC
Copyright © 2008-2009 Springfield College. All rights reserved worldwide.
Site design and production: Office of Marketing & Communications.