JAMES MADISON, HOFSTRA ADVANCE TO CAA FINALS
Hempstead, NY (May 10) - Left fielder Brittney Dyson hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning and second baseman Kaitlyn Wernsing followed with a two-run shot in the fifth as the James Madison softball team rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Hofstra 5-4 in a winner's bracket game on Saturday afternoon, advancing the Dukes through to Sunday's championship.
Hofstra stayed alive with a 4-2 win over Towson in an elimination game, and will play James Madison on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. in the championship round. The Pride must defeat the Dukes twice to extend its NCAA record of 10 consecutive conference championships.
James Madison extended its winning streak to 13 games and improved to 32-20 on the year, while advancing through to tomorrow's CAA championship round. Hofstra saw its 15-game winning streak snapped, while dropping its first game of the season at home, where it had been 14-0 this year.
Hofstra put together three runs in the top of the first inning to get off to a quick 3-0 lead. Junior second baseman Casey Fee and junior center fielder Erika Bernstein led off with back-to-back walks. An error allowed Fee to score, and Dreslinski capped off the inning with a bases-loaded two-out double into shallow right-center that eluded the dive of center fielder Courtney Simons.
The Pride added a run in the top of the second after back-to-back infield singles and stolen bases from Fee and Bernstein put runners on second and third with one out. Fee's stolen base made her 21-for-21 stealing bases this season and enabled the Pride to break the team record with its 70th of the year, while Bernstein's steal was her 14th of the year. Freshman third baseman Sara Michalowski then went the other way for an RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-0.
Hofstra could not hold on to the lead, though, as James Madison used a pair of long balls to take a 5-4 lead after the fifth inning. Sophomore left fielder Brittney Dyson hit a three-run shot off of Hofstra starter Kayleigh Lotti in the fourth inning to make the score 4-3. Designated player Lauren Mernin was hit by a pitch with one out and freshman shortstop Melissa Hill lined a single into right-center. Hofstra caught Hill in a rundown, but she was able to dive into second safely. Dyson then followed with a homer to left center to cut the lead to 4-3.
The Pride went to Oliver in relief in the fifth inning, who walked first baseman Jenn Chavez. After a sacrifice bunt, Wernsing homered over the left field pole to give the Dukes their first lead of the day. Wernsing did not have a homer all season, before hitting the game-winning homer in the seventh inning of a 2-1 win over Georgia State on Thursday in the opening round of the CAA Tournament.
Meredith Felts got the win in relief for James Madison to improve to 17-8, relieving starter Jenny Clohan with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth and getting out of the jam to keep the score 4-0. Dyson finished 2-for-2 with three RBI on the day for James Madison.
Lotti uncharacteristically struggled, allowing six hits and striking out three in four innings of work. Oliver's loss was only the second of the season for her, as she dropped to 10-2 on the year. Hofstra had not allowed more than four runs in a game since an 8-7 win over Baylor on March 10.
Hofstra was able to stay alive as sophomore first baseman Michele DePasquale (Waterford, NJ) batted 2-for-2 with two RBI as the Pride captured a 4-2 win over Towson in an elimination game to advance to the CAA championship round. Hofstra has reached the championship round of its conference tournament every year in head coach Bill Edwards' 19 seasons at the helm.
The Pride took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning of the Towson contest on an RBI fielder's choice from senior shortstop Pam Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH). Oliver led off with a single and DePasquale followed with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt from junior left fielder Melissa Hodge (Waterford, NJ) moved the runners over, Dreslinski hit a slow roller and pinch-runner Christie Novatin (Farmingdale, NJ) slid in under the tag on the throw home.
The Pride tacked on three more runs in the third inning, as junior catcher Carolann Lubach led off with single up the middle, and sophomore right fielder Kris Root (Waynesboro, PA) and Fee followed with back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases with nobody out. After a lineout and a pop-up, Oliver hit a line drive single to left to score the second run, and DePasquale singled through the right side to score two runs and stretch the lead to 4-0.
Towson cut the lead in half in the bottom of fourth inning, as senior designated player Aimee Rosa hit a two-out, two-run homer to right-center, scoring Mindy Bean, who led off the inning with a single. Lotti settled down to get the win and improve to 19-5 on the season. She allowed four hits and struck out seven on the day to get the win.
Towson stayed alive in the loser's bracket with a 5-4 win over Georgia State in a wild contest. Towson center fielder Kim Lempa hit an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to put Towson ahead 4-3. Georgia State answered with a run with two outs in the top of the seventh on an RBI single from first baseman Jessica Gowin, but Tiger left fielder Emily Gould hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to win it.
The Tigers went ahead 1-0 on a solo homer from Rosa in the second, giving her a school-record 11 this season (she later extended the record to 12 against Hofstra). Georgia State, though, scored three times in the third on back-to-back homers from catcher Catherine Lee (a two-run shot) and Gowin. Lee's homer gave her 63 RBI on the season, tying the CAA record set by Hofstra's Ashley Lane in 2006.
However, Towson responded on a two-run homer from third baseman Stef Streets in the bottom of the fourth to even the score at 3-3. Streets nearly hit another one in the bottom of the sixth, but instead saw the ball hit off the wall in right-center before settling for a double.
Claire Rietmann-Grout threw a three-hitter to get the win for Towson in the circle, while Madi Gore allowed 10 hits to get the loss for Georgia State.
2008 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Championship
May 8-11 - Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)
Thursday, May 8
12 p.m. - Hofstra 3, Towson 1
3:30 p.m. - James Madison 2, Georgia State 1
Friday, May 9 - rained out
Saturday, May 10
10 a.m. - James Madison 5, Hofstra 4
12:30 p.m. - Towson 5, Georgia State 4
3 p.m. - Hofstra 4, Towson 2
Sunday, May 11
9:30 a.m. - Hofstra (41-11) vs. James Madison (32-20)
12 p.m. - Second Game (if Hofstra wins first game)
