Box Score
Camden, NJ – The Sage Colleges' softball team opened play on Thursday evening in the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro NY-NJ Tournament facing No. 3 seeded Rutgers University-Camden. Sage's graduate student Rachel Smith (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane) drove in the only run of the game on a solo shot to propel Sage to the next round of the playoffs as Sage beat RUC, 1-0 on the Thursday. Sage improves to 21-18, while RUC's season ends with a 21-19 record.
Sage will face No. 2 seeded Elmira College on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the ECAC's, which will take place on the campus of Richard Stockton College (Pomona, NJ), May 11 and 12.
The two teams were scoreless until the fifth inning when Smith tagged her third home run of the season to break the scoreless action and give the Gators a 1-0 lead. Smith now has 14 career home runs and moves into the No. 2 spot on the career home run list, one behind the all-time leader, Maria Pasquarelli (15, 2006-2009).
The Gators loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but were not able to push any additional runs past home plate but held on for the win.
Pitching for the Gators, rookie Katie Kovage (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) worked seven innings with her fourth shutout of the year as she scattered five hit and fanned two. She improves to 9-3 on the season and has made 21 appearances for the Gators to lead the 2013 squad.
Sophomore infielder Kristen Beikirch (Brockport, NY/Brockport) had a pair of hits and also added her 16th stolen base on the season, elevating her career resume to include 123 hits with 32 stolen bases.
Sage stands at 21-18 on the year after making the Skyline Conference Tournament for the second straight year and surpasses the 20-win plateau for the second time in as many years, all under second-year head coach Jamie Brown, whose win on Thursday marks her 50th career win at Sage as she is 50-35.
2013 ECAC Softball Championship
First Round – Wednesday, May 8 & Thursday, May 9
No. 8 SUNY Old Westbury (19-17) at No. 1 Richard Stockton College (30-11), RSC wins, 1-0
No. 7 Brooklyn (23-17) vs No. 2 Elmira (24-13), Elmira wins, 2-0
No. 6 The Sage Colleges (20-18) at No. 3 Rutgers-Camden (21-18), Sage wins, 1-0
No. 5 Mount St. Mary College (18-16) at No. 4 Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham (20-19), (MSMC Forfeit),
FDU-Florham Advances
Double Elimination (Day 1) – Saturday, May 11 at Highest Remaining Seed (Hosted by Richard Stockton College, Pomona, NJ)
Game 1: No. Elmira vs. Sage, 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. RSC vs. FDU-Florham, Noon
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, Time TBD
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, Time TBD
Double Elimination (Day 2) – Sunday, May 12 at (Hosted by Richard Stockton College, Pomona, NJ)
Game 5: Game 4 loser vs. Game 3 winner, Time TBD
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, Time TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 loser vs. Game 6 winner, Time TBD
