Box Score WELLESLEY, Mass. – The sixth-seeded Smith College softball team's magical run through the 2014 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Championship came to an end with a 1-0 setback to top-seeded Wellesley in the title round on Saturday afternoon.
After a 1-2-3 top of the first, Wellesley (27-9) loaded the bases with zero outs.
Brittney Blokker (Seattle, Wash./Ballard) and
Gina Martucci (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Township) then fielded grounders and fired to the plate to get the lead runners while
Caroline Kushner (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) delivered a grounder to first to help the Pioneers avoid an early deficit.
Mariah Philips began the bottom of the second with a single.
Edie Richardson (Franklin, Mass./Fontbonne Academy) pulled down a pop up and Martucci froze the last two batters of the frame.
Smith (19-13) recorded its first of two consecutive 1-2-3 defensive innings beginning with the bottom of the third.
Richardson broke up Lindsay Johnson's no-hit bid with a stand up double in the top of the fifth.
Kristina Gaffny (Reading, Mass./Austin Prep), running for Richardson, was moved to third courtesy of a sacrifice bunt by Kushner. Johnson then struck out the next two Pioneers swinging to keep the game scoreless.
Ashtyn Coleman reached on a two-out double to right field in the bottom of the fifth but was stranded as Blokker made a running catch to end the frame.
Allison Snyder (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) led off the sixth with a double and advanced to third following a sacrifice bunt by
Joanna Giordano (South Salem, N.Y./John Jay).
Ruth Zimmerman (Edison, N.J./John P. Stevens) looked to plate Snyder but the Blue erased Snyder at the dish on the fielder's choice.
Emilyrose Havrilla sent a two-out solo blast to right center to hand Wellesley a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth. The Pioneers were retired 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh.
Martucci struck out five over six innings while Snyder and Richardson each recorded a double. Coleman went 2-for-3 at the leadoff spot as Johnson fanned nine in the complete game shutout.
Smith now awaits word of a potential ECAC Division III New England Softball Championship bid. Selections are expected sometime on Monday with quarterfinal games slated to be played on Wednesday. Wellesley earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
