TEANECK, N.J. ? The third-seeded Monmouth University softball team defeated second-seeded Wagner, 3-0 in a first round game and fell to top-seeded Long Island, 7-1 in the winner's bracket game at the Northeast Conference Softball Championships at FDU Field Friday afternoon. The Hawks, who are now 31-17, move on to face Wagner in a rematch of today's game tomorrow, Saturday, May 12 at 10:00 a.m. for the right to advance to the Championship Round later tomorrow afternoon. The win is Monmouth's first in the NEC Tournament since defeating Maryland-Baltimore County 2-1 in 2001.
The Blue and White received a two-hit, complete-game gem from sophomore All-NEC First Team selection Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) in their 3-0 win over Wagner. She struck out six in the game, which was delayed for 22 minutes for a rain during the middle innings, to improve to 17-6 on the season.
In the top of the second inning, senior first-team all-conference selection Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) singled off of Wagner pitcher Morgan Miller and advanced to second on a single by second-team pick Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley). Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) then flew out to right field, and Gordon tagged to advance to third but Wagner's Ami Iwicki overthrew the base and Gordon scampered home to give MU a lead.
The Hawks scored again in the top of the fourth when Dawn Gilchrist (Newfound, N.J./Jefferson) reached on a fielder's choice, O'Dell singled up the middle and Palumbo drove a two-out, RBI double to the left-centerfield gap to plate Gilchrist.
The next inning, Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) led-off the frame with a single and was sacrificed over the second by first-team all-league second baseman Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes). Fellow first-teamer Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) then singled up the middle to score Mignogna with MU's final run.
Gordon and O'Dell each finished with a pair of hits apiece for the Hawks.
In the second game, Gordon put MU up 1-0 in the top of the third with a RBI groundout with the bases loaded, but the Hawks were unable to muster any more offense and fell to LIU 7-1. The Blackbirds struck for three runs in both the fourth and sixth innings, and now advance to the Championship Round tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.
