SAGE SOFTBALL TEAM REMAINS ALIVE IN ECAC TOURNAMENT; GATORS ADVANCE TO SUNDAY AFTER CONTINUING RECORD BREAKING SEASON
Pomona, NJ--- The Sage College's softball team split results on Saturday as the squad is making the program's first appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro NY-NJ Division III Softball Championship. The event, which is a double elimination four-team tournament, is being held at Richard Stockton College.
After Saturday's results, Sage stands at 27-16 and continues to rewrite the program's record book all under the direction of the team's new mentor, Jamie Brown.
Saturday's ECAC Scores
Game # 1 St. Joseph's (LI) 2-1 RSC
Game #2 SUNY-Old Westbury 7-1 Sage
Game # 3 Sage 5-1 RSC (RSC eliminated)
Game # 4 St. Joe's def. OW, 1-0 (9 innings)
Sunday's Schedule
Game #5 Noon Sage vs. SUNY-Old Westbury
Game #6 2:00 p.m. Winner of Game # 5 vs. St. Joseph's
Game #7 4 p.m. (If necessary)
Game # 1 SUNY-Old Westbury 7-1 Sage
In the first game, the Gators struck first Rams struck first with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth but the Panthers overtook Sage in the top of the fifth with a 3-1 lead.
Sage's senior Meghan Welcome (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) connected on her 15th double of the year to break Sage's single-season doubles record held by Kellie Jones (14, 2009). For the game, Sage's offense was led by junior pitcher Kelsey Newberg (New Britain, CT/New Britain) as she was 3-4.
Newberg suffered the loss after working four plus innings and yielding 3 earned runs off 8 hits with 5 strikeouts. She drops to 15-8 on the season. Also working from the circle for Sage were junior Rachel Smith (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane) as she fanned two in one inning of work as well as sophomore Jessica Saburro (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) who also worked in two innings for Sage.
Old Westbury's Alyssa Clancy picked up the complete game win to improve to 18-10 after she fanned 7 and had on earned runs in 7 innings of work.
Game # 2 Sage 5-1 Richard Stockton
The teams each tacked on a single run in the first inning of play before Sage jumped out to a 2-1 lead with a solo homerun in the top of the sixth inning as sophomore short stop Hillary Faas (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia) connected on her fifth home run of the season and elevated her team-leading total to 40 RBIs, a Sage single-season.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Gators tacked on a pair of runs as Welcome connected on a one-run shot to gave Sage a 5-1 one lead. Also going deep in the inning was Smith as she garnered her 9th of the year and drove in two runs. Smith, who broke the record for single-season home runs earlier this year and continues to add to the Gator record book as she also holds the records for most runs scored (42), and most at-bats (149).
Smith earned the win working six innings and after she scattered 7 hits and fanned a pair. She improves to 12-8 for the Gators. Newberg worked the seventh inning and held down a last inning rally by the Ospreys to collect her second save of the year. She leads the Gators with her single-season strikeout mark of 113, while adding to her active career record of 181.
