D 3 softball

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ECSUalum

FOLLOWING LEC SPLIT, EASTERN SOFTBALL NO. 3 SEED IN PLAYOFFS
By Bob Molta on April 26, 2009 11:01 PM
Rathbun equals collegiate high with 15 strikeouts in 2-1 first-game win

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Freshman Molly Rathbun (Hebron) struck out 15 batters for the second time in her last three starts and senior Rachel Denny (East Haddam) hit a game-ending tenth-inning sacrifice fly as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team edged Keene State College, 2-1 in ten innings, in the first game of a Little East Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Howard Spector Field.

In the second game, Keene State (22-12, 10-4 little east) freshman Courtney Savoie twirled a two-hit shutout as the Owls salvaged a split with a 2-0 victory that handed Eastern (23-9, 10-4 little east) its third conference loss in two days.

Later Sunday night, Keene scored three times in the bottom of the tenth inning to upend regular-season champion Rhode Island College, 9-8, in the completion of a halted game from April 10. Keene denied Rhode Island a perfect conference season with the win  that also gave the Owls the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, which will be held Thursday through Saturday at Rhode Island College. Eastern is seeded third and will face fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State University in an opening-round game at 2 p.m.

Denny's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth inning scored freshman pinch runner Rosie Manzo (Hudson, MA) to give Eastern the Game 1 win. Keene reached Rathbun for four of its game total of five hits in taking a 1-0 lead in the fourth, but Eastern tied the first game in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned run when Denny's two-out single was booted in the outfield, allowing freshman rightfielder Priscilla Alicea (Stratford) to score from first.

Both teams ran into double plays in the late innings of the first game when runners were caught off the bag on routine fly balls to the respective centerfielders. Keene's running error cost them an opportunity in the top of the tenth and set the stage for Eastern's game-ending rally in the bottom of the inning. With a runner placed on second in the bottom of the tenth in accordance with tie-breaker rules, Eastern sophomore leftfielder Katie Dinihanian (Stratford) moved pinch runner Manzo to third with a sacrifice bunt. Two intentional walks loaded the bases for Denny. The program's career RBI leader, Denny sent the first pitch she saw from reliever Samantha Pratt to left field deep enough to send in Manzo with the winning run.

In the second game, Katie Bradford hit a two-out solo home run on a two-strike pitch to give Keene a 1-0 lead in the second, and Bradford walked and scored on an RBI single by No. 9 hitter Laura Chandler to make it 2-0 in the sixth. Senior Katie Pensiero (Stamford) lost for only the second time in eight decisions this year, recording her third complete game in 11 starts. Pensiero fanned seven and walked three and matched Rathbun by limiting Keene to only five hits.

Leading 1-0 in the second game, Keene put its first two runners aboard on errors in the fourth, but Pensiero got a swinging strikeout and line drive out to second to end the threat. Keene threatened again in the fifth but stranded runners on second and third (the Owls left nine runners on in the game) when Pensiero induced a ground ball and got an inning-ending strikeout. The Owls finally tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Bradford scored from second on Chandler's two-out RBI single.

In the first game, Keene leadoff hitter Jenna Patnode stole her 33rd and 34th bases of the season without being caught, but was stranded at second both times.

Savoie, one of four freshman pitchers that comprise the Keene staff, pitched a complete- fanned seven and walked four in the nightcap to post her seventh win in ten decisions. Eastern stranded two runners in the first and two in the fourth in the second game.


WLCALUM83

More teams in D3 tournament:

Christopher Newport (USAC)

LaGrange (GSAC)

Salisbury (CAC)

Springfield-MA (NEWMAC)

Good bets:  U of Rochester, Washington-MO

WLCALUM83

NJAC Pre-Conference Tournament Statistics and Other Things:  (In-conference only)

Qualifiers:   1) Rowan, 2) Wm Paterson, 3) TCNJ, 4) Ramapo, 5) Kean, 6) Montclair State

Highest BA:  Wm Paterson     Best Fielding Team:  Rowan
Best ERA:     TCNJ                   Worst Fielding Team:  Kean
Worst ERA:  Wm Paterson

Teams most likely to make things interesting:  TCNJ & Montclair State if their pitching and defense hold up.








WLCALUM83

#18
American Southwest Conference Pre-Tournament Analysis:

Qualifiers:  East:  1) ETBU,  2) Lousiana College, 3) UT-Tyler
                  West:  1) Hardin-Simmons,  2) Howard Payne  3) Schreiner

Figures to be the toughest (in terms of position of ranked teams), 3 of these teams are in the top 6 nationally.,

(In-conference statistics):

Highest Batting Ave.   Hardin-Simmons      Best ERA:  ETBU
Lowest Batting Avg.    Louisiana College   Worst ERA:  Schreiner

This one's the toughest to call. I'm giving ETBU the nod, with their pitching.


WLCALUM83

IIAC Pre-Conference Tournament Analysis (in-conference stats only:)

Qualifiers:  1) Central, 2) Wartburg, 3) Coe  4) Luther, 5) Simpson, 6) Dubuque

Highest BA:  Central                        Lowest ERA:  Central
Lowest BA:  Dubuque                      Highest ERA:  Dubuque

Best Defense:  Wartburg

2nd toughest to call (behind ASC)  I'll say it'll be a Central/Wartburg final, with Central winning it with their pitching.

WLCALUM83

MIAC pre-conference tournament analysis (in-conference stats only)"

Qualifiers:  1) Gustavus Adolphus, 2) St. Thomas, 3) Hamline, 4) Bethel

Highest BA:  St. Thomas     Lowest ERA:  Gustavus Adolphus
Lowest BA:   Bethel            Highest ERA:  Bethel

Best Defense:  St. Thomas
Worst Defense:  Bethel

Figuring on a Gusty/St. Thomas final, with Gusty prevailing.

    (Now about 2/3 of the NFCA top 25 teams are accounted for, including the teams that have already clinched NCAA D3 berths.)
         

WLCALUM83

#21
Ohio Athletics Conference:

Qualifiers:  1) Ohio Northern, 2) John Carroll, 3) Mt. Union, 4) Muskingum

Highest BA:  Ohio Northern    Lowest ERA:  Ohio Northern
Lowest BA:   Muskingum        Highest ERA:  Muskingum

I'm going with Ohio Northern


WLCALUM83

MIAA:

Qualifiers:  1) Trine, 2) Alma, 3) Adrian, 4) Hope

Highest BA:  Trine    Lowest ERA:    Trine
Lowest BA:   Hope    Highest: ERA:  Hope

Figuring on an Adrian/Trine final with Trine prevailing (overall balance)


WLCALUM83

HCAC:

Qualifiers:  1) Transylvania, 2) Bluffton, 3) Defiance, 4) Adrian

Highest BA:    Bluffton     Lowest ERA:  Bluffton
Lowest BA:    Defiance    Highest ERA:  Anderson

Most likely to take conference tourney:  Bluffton--if the defense doesn't go south on that squad.

ECSUalum

WLCALUM,

+1 K for your D-III softball posts!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

Ralph Turner

Quote from: ECSUalum on April 29, 2009, 10:39:43 PM
WLCALUM,

+1 K for your D-III softball posts!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

Ditto!  +1!   :)

Keep up the good work!

Have you seen the Regional Rankings for softball yet?   

WLCALUM83

#26
NFCA D3 softball Top 25  4/29/09:

    1)  Linfield                                            36-4     
    2)  Central, IA                                      35-5
    2)  ETBU                                               35-5
    4)  UW-Whitewater                              32-3
    5)  Tufts                                               34-0
    6)  Ohio Northern                                 32-3
    7)  Wartburg                                        35-4
    8)  Cortland State                                36-4
    9)  Salisbury                                         30-4
  10)  Lynchburg                                       37-6-1
  11)  Louisiana College                            32-6
  12)  IL Wesleyan                                    28-3
  13)  St. Thomas-MN                                34-4
  14)  UT-Tyler                                           31-7
  15)  Rowan                                             30-8
  16)  Willamette                                       29-6
  17)  DePauw                                           26-7
  18)  Gustavus Adolphus                          32-4
  19)  Christopher Newport                       35-7
  20)  UW-Eau Claire                                 27-10
  21)  Washington-MO                               24-9
  22)  Wm Paterson                                   29-7
  23)  U of Rochester                                 31-11
  24)  Adrian                                              32-4
  25)  Redlands                                          27-10

         Others receiving votes:  Luther, Moravian, Coast Guard, Emory

WLCALUM83

#27
NCAA Regional Rankings  4/29/09:

Atlantic:                                            Overall:                     In-Region:

   1)  Lynchburg                             37-6-1                          32-6-1   
   2)  Salisbury                                 34-4                              26-4
   3)  Louisiana College                   32-6                              28-5
   4)  Emory                                     30-10                            25-8
   5)  Bridgewater-VA                      33-9                              29-9
   6)  Mississippi College                 22-17                            22-15
   7)  Christopher Newport             35-7                              28-6
   8)  York, PA                                 29-14                            26-11

Central:

   1)  Ohio Northern                       32-3                               22-3
   2)  DePauw                                26-7                               22-4
   3)  Adrian                                   32-4                               19-4
   4)  Bluffton                                 29-11                             20-7
   5)  Trine                                     28-8                               20-7
   6)  John Carroll                          27-9                               17-7
   7)  Mount Union                         26-14                             17-10
   8)  Muskingum                           24-14                             19-11

East:

   1)  Rowan                                 30-8                                26-3
   2)  Messiah                               32-4                                23-2
   3)  Wm. Paterson                     29-7                                25-6
   4)  Moravian                             31-9                                29-7
   5)  TCNJ                                    23-15                             20-9
   6)  Kean                                   19-17                              14-10
   7)  Lebanon Valley                   24-12                              20-9   
   8)  Ursinus                                28-8                               23-4

Great Lakes:

   1)  UW-Whitewater                  32-3                               23-1
   2)  IL Wesleyan                        28-3                               21-3
   3)  UW-LaCrosse                      26-10                             21-10
   4)  UW-Eau Claire                     27-10                             25-9
   5)  Aurora                                 30-5                               26-3 
   6)  North Central IL                  23-10                             21-7
   7)  UW-Oshkosh                       17-15                             15-8
   8)  UW-River Falls                     22-14                             17-12

Midwest Region

   1)  Central-IA                           34-4                               28-4
   2)  Wartburg                            35-4                               22-3
   3)  Washington-MO                  24-9                               18-6
   4)  St. Thomas-MN                    36-4                               32-3
   5)  Coe                                     30-10                            20-8
   6)  Gustavus Adolphus             32-4                              27-4
   7)  Luther                                 30-7                              27-7
   8)  Simpson                              26-15                            21-9

New England:

   1)  Tufts                                    34-0                              24-0
   2)  Rhode Island College          36-4                              32-3
   3)  Coast Guard                     34-4 1                           30-2-1
   4)  Eastern CT State                 23-9                             19-5
   5)  Brandeis                              22-14                           22-12
   6)  Endicott                               33-6                             30-5
   7)  Keene State                        22-12                            19-8
   8)  Williams                               15-15                           13-7

Northeast:

   1)  Cortland State                    36-4                              33-3
   2)  U of Rochester                    31-10                            28-9
   3)  Emerson                             32-7                              30-5
   4)  St. John Fisher                    27-9                              20-7
   5)  Union-NY                             23-5                              17-4
   6)  Brockport                         26-9-1                              19-8
   7)  Buffalo State                       25-11                            19-7
   8)  Ithaca                                 24-14                             19-10

West:

   1)  Linfield                               35-4                                33-3 
   2)  ETBU                                  35-5                                33-5
   3)  Redlands                           27-10                               24-7
   4)  UT-Tyler                             31-7                                26-7
   5)  LaVerne                             27-13                              23-9
   6)  Claremont-M/S                   26-12                              22-11
   7)  Hardin-Simmons                 27-9                                25-9 
   8)  Howard Payne                    26-8                               24-8


Wydown Blvd.

#28
ESPN Article about Coast Guard Freshman Pitching Phenom:
Feindel pitches for more than softball

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=4112105

Because of internet connection problems, I didn't get a chance to comment on this story.
Every time I think about switching over to following more DI sports, I am reminded, by stories such as this one, at how there are more than enough amazing D3 athletes to fill the pages of sporting magazines. Good luck to Coast Guard softball, and I wish them future success (esp. if they make this years tourney)....

Ralph Turner

Quote from: Wydown Blvd. on April 30, 2009, 02:25:47 PM
ESPN Article about Coast Guard Freshman Pitching Phenom:
Feindel pitches for more than softball

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=4112105

That is a "must-read"!!!