Box Score BUFFALO, N.Y. –
Rachel Shotzbarger (Saugus, Calif./Saugus) went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, a double and five RBI's as the Monmouth University softball team outscored second-seeded Fairfield, 12-8, Friday afternoon in the winners bracket of the MAAC Championships at the Demske Sports Complex. After Fairfield took a 7-5 lead with a five-run bottom of the fifth, the Hawks (19-23) used a seven-run top of the sixth to come away with the victory.
With Monmouth's seventh-straight win, the Hawks advance to tomorrow's championship round at noon in need of just one win in two tries to take the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks' opponent will be determined in today's next two games. The winner of Game 8 between No. 4 Siena and No. 3 Manhattan will play Fairfield in Game 9 for the opportunity to face Monmouth in need of a sweep of both games to advance.
Emma Hill (Rae, Mo./King City [Highland C.C.]),
Chloe Howerth (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) and
Ashalynn Umiamaka (Kapolei, Hawaii/Kapolei [Eastern Arizona]) had three hits apiece, with Howerth scoring three times and driving in a run. Umiamaka drove in two with a double and scored twice. Hill scored one run and stole two bases.
Kayleena Flores (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) chipped in with two hits, including a double, two RBI's and a run scored.
Vanessa Cardoza (Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View),
Jill Freese (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area),
Nikki Sandelier (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township) and
Raelynn Galindo (Yorba Linda, Calif./Yorba Linda) also added one hit apiece.
Sydney Underhill (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) got the start in the circle and allowed seven runs, five earned, on nine hits and a walk in 4.1 innings. She struck out one.
Amanda Riley (Tracy, Calif./John C. Kimball) came on in relief to pick up the win. She walked the bases loaded, but avoided any damage in the fifth before allowing a double and a triple, while recording one out in the sixth to finish to finish with a line of one earned run on two hits and three walks, while striking out one.
Breanna Sniffen (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange [St. Petersburg College]) closed out the game with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball, allowing one hit and three walks, while striking out three.
"We're hungry, we're on a mission and it's one game at a time," said Monmouth Head Coach
Louie Berndt.
Monmouth struck first in the top of the first. Howerth sent a soft line drive over the shortstop's head before a soft pop from Umiamaka dropped in front of the shortstop for an infield hit. Reyes was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Shotzbarger sent a fly ball to deep center to score Howerth. Flores followed with a base hit to center to score Umiamaka and give Monmouth a 2-0 lead. All told, Monmouth sent eight batters to the plate in the first. Fairfield loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first, but Cardoza stayed with a short hop on a Molly Roche liner to third, tapped the bag and the Hawks got out of the jam.
In the top of the fifth, Howerth legged out an infield single and moved to second when Reyes was hit by a pitch with one out. Shotzbarger then sent a towering shot to left center for a three-run home run, giving Monmouth a 5-2 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Fairfield scored five times to take a 7-5 lead. Lauren Filicia led off with a single and moved to second on a groundout. She then scored on a Tori Reed single to center with Reed moving to second on the throw home. Sam Frungillo followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 5-4. After Kristen Ball singled to left, Molly Roche hit a high fly ball to left that the field wouldn't hold for a three-run home run and a 7-5 Fairfield lead.
Fairfield changed pitchers to begin the sixth and the Hawks jumped on Nicole Gardon for singles from Freese and Galindo. Gardon was pulled from the game, but the Monmouth rally continued against Lauren Falkanger. Hill hit an infield single to load the bases before the first baseman mishandled a Howerth grounder to make it 7-6. Umiamaka then grounded a double inside the third base bag to clear the bases, making it 9-7 MU. After Reyes lined out for the second out, Shotzbarger doubled to left to score Umiamaka. Flores followed with another RBI double to left center to push the lead to 11-7.
Nikki Sandelier (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township), who'd pinch ran earlier in the frame, chopped a single on the infield and the throw to first got away, allowing Flores to score Monmouth's 12th run.
Reed led off the bottom of the sixth with a double on a soft fly ball in front of a diving Hill, who'd been playing deep in left. Ball followed with a one-out triple off the right field wall to make it 12-8. Sniffen entered and struck out Roche before issuing consecutive walks to Robinson and Capra to load the bases. But she caught Brianna Levick looking at a 3-2 pitch up in the zone on the outside corner.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, Sniffen got Lauren Filicia to pop out, struck out Sammy Ruffolo, and after two batters reached on a single and a walk, the senior induced a fielder's choice ground ball to end the game.
