May 5, 2012
Coast Guard Sweeps Three to Win the NEWMAC Softball Crown
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The U.S. Coast Guard
Academy won three games this afternoon to capture their third
consecutive New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Softball Tournament at Springfield Colleges Potter Field. The Bears
defeated Springfield once and Babson twice to earn the crown.
Senior pitcher Hayley Feindel of the 6th-seeded USCGA Bears was
named the tournament MVP for hurling every pitch of the tournament
for the Bears, and also for becoming the all-time NCAA leader in
victories with 122. Her record this season jumped to 19-8.
Coast Guard first defeated #1-seeded Springfield, 8-5 in eight
innings, after trailing 4-2 entering the seventh inning. The Bears
then defeated #2-seeded Babson, 11-0 in five innings, and 5-2.
Thus, Coast Guard earns the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament
berth.
Coast Guard thus raises its record to 26-17. Babson ends its
season at 25-18, Springfield ends its season at 25-16-1.
NEWMAC Semifinal -- Coast Guard 8, Springfield 5 (8
innings)
In the first game of the day, sixth-seeded Coast Guard and
top-seeded Springfield were facing each other in an elimination
game. The winner would take on #2-seeded Babson, but would need to
defeat the Beavers twice in order to win the tournament.
This contest featured the top two pitchers in the conference --
SC's Ashley Marino and CGA's Hayley Feindel.
Springfield jumped out front by scoring three runs in the bottom
of the third inning. Tess Gagliano led with a home run, her third
of the season, to left field. After two were out, Ally Rivelli
walked, followed by a single by Kasey Kelly. Then Kelly Blake
knocked in a run with a single to left field. Eventually, Kelly
scored on a wild pitch.
Coast Guard immediately countered with two in the top of the
fourth. Jesse Richardson singled. That was followed by a two-run
blast by Holli Bastinck over the left field fence.
The Pride scored one in the fourth. Rivelli knocked in Gagliano
with a base hit, making it 4-2.
It stayed that way until the top of the seventh. After the first
batter was retired on a ground out, Erin Lisko singled to left.
Devin Fellman then doubled in Lisko all the way from first, making
it 4-3. Moments later, Maddie Buchert singled, scoring Fellman and
tying it up.
In the CGA eighth inning, the Bears broke it open. Kailin Ward was
placed on second due to the international tie-breaking rule. SC
looked like it might get out of it after a sacrifice bunt and a pop
up to shortstop. But Jamie Kim laced a sharp single to center, and
Coast Guard took the lead for the first time in the game. Fellman
then lashed a long home run, giving the Bears an 8-4 advantage.
In the last of the eighth, Chelsea Bender knocked in a run to cut
it to 8-5. But Feindel struck out the game's last two batters, and
the Bears moved on.
Both pitchers went the distance. In eight innngs, Marino gave up
12 hits, while walking two and striking out four. Feindel gave up
seven hits, while walking three and striking out 11. Marino
finished 13-9. Feindel improved to 17-8 on the season, and won her
120th career contest, tying the NCAA Division III record for most
wins.
NEWMAC Championship Series Game #1 -- Coast Guard 11, Babson 0
(5 innings.)
In the second game of the day, and the first championship series
contest, Coast Guard immediately took right up where it had left
off against the Pride, scoring two runs in the second, five in the
third, and four in the fourth. The net result was an 11-0 win in
five innings.
Feindel gave up only three hits, while striking out six and
walking none. The loser was starting pitcher Megan Brain, who gave
up four runs and five hits in two innings. Brain finished at
4-7.
Kim had the big hit in the second inning, a two-out two-run
double.
In the third, Ward had another two-run double. The next two
batters -- Chloe Harmon and Kim -- produced RBI ground outs, making
it 6-0. Lisko then singled in Ward, and the lead grew to 7-0.
In the CGA fourth, Richardson doubled to left, and Bastinck
walked. Ward singled to center, making it 8-0. Harmon followed with
a three-run home run, and it was an 11-0 final.
Feindel thus broke the NCAA Division III pitching record with her
121st victory.
Buchert and Ward had three hits apiece, while Harmon knocked in
four, and Ward and Kim each knocked in three.
NEWMAC Championship Series Game #2 -- Coast Guard 5, Babson
2
In the final game of the day, Bastinck went 4-for-4 and socked in
three runs.Fellman also had two hits for the Bears, which had 11 in
the game. All told, CGA had 37 hits on the afternoon.
Once again, Coast Guard started out fast, scoring four runs in the
top of the first inning. The Bears would add one in the sixth.
Babson tallied singletons in the first and the third.
For the Bears, after a single, a sacrifice, and a walk, it was
Bastinck powering a three-run home run to left field. One out
later, Harmon did likewise.
In the bottom of the first, Jackie Enos led off with a single, and
Catie Funk walked. Nicole Latini then had an RBI-single to left,
cutting the margin to 4-1.
In the third, Latini doubled to left field, then Kelly King
singled past the shortstop to close the gap to 4-2.
In the sixth, an RBI-single by Fellman ended the scoring for the
Bears.
For Babson, Tess Rubega hurled the distance, finishing with a 10-5
record. She gave up four earned runs on 11 hits, walking two and
striking out two.
Feindel gave up 10 hits, walking two and striking out two. She
improved to 19-8, and earned her 122nd career victory.
Courtesy of Springfield College Sports Information
