USJ Softball Falls to Tufts, WPI at NCAA Regional

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDFORD, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) softball team, which captured its first GNAC Championship since 2000 last weekend, saw its season come to a close at host Tufts University this weekend following setbacks to Tufts and WPI at the Jumbos' Spicer Field. 

TUFTS 11, USJ 0 (5 innings)
The Tufts University softball team scored seven runs in the third inning to get going on an 11-0 five-inning victory over the University of Saint Joseph in the opening round of the NCAA Regional at Spicer Field on Friday afternoon.

The Jumbos (31-8) advance to Game 3 of the Regional on Saturday where they will take on Eastern Connecticut State University (30-11) in a winner's bracket match-up at noon. The Warriors defeated WPI 6-3 in Friday's other opening-round action at Tufts. The Jumbos-Eastern Connecticut winner will be in the driver's seat for the tournament heading into Sunday.

Saint Joseph (27-18) will play an elimination game against WPI on Saturday at 2:30 pm at Spicer.

After a scoreless first two innings, the Jumbos sent 11 batters to the plate, had seven hits, and benefitted from three Blue Jay errors in the third to take a commanding 7-0 lead. An early RBI triple by junior center fielder Maggie Lebinski (Monroe, Conn.) started the big inning. Sophomore second baseman Emma Della Volpe (Concord, Mass.) followed with an RBI double and senior right fielder Kristen Caporelli (Taunton, Mass.) soon added a two-run double. Senior designated player Christian Cain (Houston, Texas) brought home another run with a double for the fourth extra-base hit of the frame.

Meanwhile, Jumbo sophomore starter Kristina Haghdan (Pelham, N.H.) was throwing a two-hit shutout. She allowed a walk to Blue Jays senior center fielder Morgan Skoly (Vernon, Conn.) in the second, a single by junior pitcher Amaria Sharon (Tolland, Conn.) in the third, and a single to junior designated player McKenna Driscoll (Bristol, Conn.) in the fourth. Skoly stole a base and was the only Blue Jay to reach second. Haghdan struck out six in a complete game effort to improve her record to 12-3 on the year.

Tufts scored four more in the fourth to lead 11-0. Junior Maria Ostapovich (Fort Collins, Colo.) had a two-run pinch-hit single to highlight the inning.

Six of Tufts' 11 runs were unearned against Saint Joseph pitchers Sharon and freshman Natalie Amato (Cheshire, Conn.), as the Blue Jays made four errors overall. Sharon took the loss giving up eight hits and seven runs (four earned) over three innings of work.

Caporelli finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs for the Jumbos, while Della Volpe went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Cain and junior third baseman Jamie Stevens (Libertyville, Ill.) both scored twice and junior left fielder Emily Serata (Voorhees, N.J.) was 2-for-2 with a run. Sophomore Reegan Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished with two RBI for the hosts.

Courtesy of USJ Athletics Communications.

WPI 12, USJ 3 (5 innings)
Senior Caraline Wood (Averill Park, NY) was 4-for-4 with a triple, a home run and three RBI while sophomore Marissa Gonzales (Oakley, CA) batted 3-for-4 with a double and a triple as WPI eliminated St. Joseph (CT), 12-3 (5 inn.), from the 2019 NCAA Division III Softball Championship in game four of the Medford Regional. The Engineers were then ousted by Tufts as junior Casey Maggiore's (North Hampton, NH) two-out RBI double in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference as the Jumbos overcame a 3-0 deficit and claimed the 4-3 victory in game five Saturday at Spicer Field.

Tufts (32-9) moves on to face Eastern Connecticut Sunday for the regional title while WPI finishes 33-11 and St. Joseph (CT) concludes its season with a 27-19 ledger. It is the fourth time in six years the Engineers have racked up 30 or more wins for head coach Whitney Goldstein.

Junior Cassie Graca (Somerset, MA) and sophomore Kaitlyn Hess (Milford, NH) sandwiched a sac fly off the bat of senior Kylie Juarez (Elk Grove, CA) with RBI knocks to take the initial 3-0 lead in the top of the first versus Tufts. Junior Emily Serata(Voorhees, NJ) later cut the deficit to one with a line drive double to right field in the bottom of the fourth. Classmate Maria Ostapovich (Fort Collins, CO) went on to level the game at 3-3 with a hit up the middle in the fifth.

Wood (double) and senior Renee LeClaire (Merrimack, NH) each batted 2-for-4 with a run scored. Freshman Lindsay Ambrosino (Chelmsford, MA) and Juarez registered sacrifice hits and Graca stole a base. Sophomore Katie Martin (Bedford, NH) and junior Mackenzie Phillips (Gill, MA) each struck out a batter and did not allow a walk for WPI.

Serata was 3-for-3 with a double and pair of RBI as Maggiore finished 3-for-4 with a double and senior Kristen Caporelli (Taunton, MA) batted 2-for-4 with a double. Sophomore Kristina Haghdan (Pelham, NH) struck out three in the complete-game victory.

Gonzales doubled and was chased home by Wood's triple in the first for the early lead over the Blue Jays in the Engineers first game of the afternoon. An infield miscue led to the first two runs of the second. Two more scampered home on a wild pitch and Wood launched a no-doubt-about it rocket to dead center field (220-plus feet).

Another miscue allowed the Engineers to claim the 7-0 lead in the third. Freshman Hailey McCasland (Wrentham, MA) had a productive ground out and Ambrosino singled through the left side to make it 9-0 after 2 ½. USJ freshman Julia Annecchiarico (Ludlow, MA) broke up the shutout with a two-out two-run double to right, that initially appeared to be caught at the warning track, in the bottom of the third.

Ambrosino added another with an RBI courtesy of a dropped popup in the fifth. Gonzales and Wood followed with run-producing singles for the 12-2 advantage. Annecchiarico plated the final run with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.

Ambrosino added a pair of RBI while Hess and McCasland each registered a sacrifice hit. Graca led the stolen base parade with a pair to go with one each by Ambrosino, Hess and McCasland. Sophomore Skylar O'Connell (North Attleboro, MA) went 1-for-1 after taking over behind the dish in the bottom of the fourth. Phillips allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and zero walks in four innings and freshman Abigail O'Connor (Belle Mead, NJ) finished the game in the circle for WPI.

Junior Amira Sharon (Tolland, CT) was 3-for-3 and Annecchiarico was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI for the Blue Jays. Senior Kara Klimaszewski (Naugatuck, CT) chipped in with a sacrifice. Sophomore Alessandra Milardo (Plantsville, CT) was in the circle for the first two innings before handing the ball to Annecchiarico.

Courtesy of WPI Athletics Communications.

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –