Ithaca Softball Claims E8 Championship
Championship Page l
Game 1 Box Score l
Game 2 Box Score
ITHACA, N.Y. – Erin McQuillan lined a two-out, two-run single up the middle to lift the nationally-ranked and top-seeded Ithaca College softball team to a 3-2 walk-off win over second-seeded St. John Fisher College and the 2016 Empire 8 Championship on Sunday at Doris Kostrinsky Field. With the win, Ithaca, which is now 32-8 overall, earned the Conference's automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Division III Softball Championship and will find out who it will face at 1 p.m. on Monday during the NCAA selection show. The Cardinals moved to 33-10 with the loss and will also find out their postseason fate on Monday.
FISHER 4, ITHACA 3
The Cardinals chased Laura Quicker in the first inning after plating a pair of runs on three hits with RBI from Jennifer Knaak and Genevieve Paeglow. The Bombers would answer in the top of the second inning as Kelly Robichaud, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, led off the frame with a double down the leftfield line before coming around to score when the Cardinals allowed Alex Wright to reach on a throwing error to make it 2-1.
Fisher would tack on two more runs after scoring in the third and fifth innings, respectively, to take a 4-1 lead, but the Bombers would make things interesting in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs of their own on two hits. Vanessa Brown got the ball rolling after lifting a double into leftfield before Robichaud stepped to the dish and launched a two-run homerun to bring the Bombers to within one, 4-3.
After retiring the Cardinals in the bottom of the sixth, Jessie Fleck reached base and represented the tying run, but the Bombers were unable to knot things up as Fisher held on for the 4-3 win to set up a deciding seventh game.
Quicker took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. Allison Macari threw 5.1 innings in relief and surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits.
Fisher’s Lindsey Thayer surrendered just four hits and two earned runs in the win.
ITHACA 3, FISHER 2
St. John Fisher held a two run lead and had not surrendered a hit going into the bottom of the seventh inning before giving up three runs on four hits. Fleck led off the frame with a single through the left side and moved to second base when Brown followed suit with a single of her own to right field. After Robichaud went down on strikes, Gavin smacked an RBI-double into the right field gap to bring the Bombers within one run. With runners on second and third and two outs, McQuillan ripped one up the middle to plate a pair and give Ithaca its 10th Empire 8 crown since 2001.
Macari started in the circle but did not factor in the decision after going six innings. The senior pitcher gave up two unearned runs on four hits. She struck out four overall. Haley Congdon was credited with the win – her sixth of the season – after throwing one perfect inning in relief.
All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player – Kelly Robichaud (Ithaca) – Senior catcher
Allison Macari (Ithaca) – Senior Pitcher
Casey Gavin (Ithaca) – Senior infield
Vanessa Brown (Ithaca) – Freshman infield
Lindsey Thayer (Fisher) – Sophomore pitcher
Jennifer Knaak (Fisher) – Senior outfield
Katie Mazierski (Fisher) – Sophomore outfield
Sophia Chiavatti (Alfred) – Junior first base/pitcher
Liz Thompson (Alfred) – Junior third base
Alysa Russell (Utica) – Senior infield