Softball Tournament Bracket
BUZZARDS BAY - Westfield State College has earned the top seed in the 2009 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Softball Championships, which begin with first round play on Thursday, April 30th and continue in a double elimination format on both Saturday and Sunday, May 2nd and 3rd.
Westfield State will host the fourth-seeded Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in one first round contest on Thursday afternoon in Westfield, Mass. beginning at 4:00 p.m. EDT, while second-seeded Bridgewater State College will host third-seeded Framingham State College in the other first round contest on Thursday afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater, Mass. beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
The tournament continues on Saturday morning at Westfield State in a double elimination format beginning at 11:00 a.m. EDT, with the championship round set for Sunday afternoon beginning at Noon, as the 2009 MASCAC champion receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Softball Championships.
Head Coach Lou Ann Simchak’s Owls shared the 2009 MASCAC regular season crown with Bridgewater State with a 10-2 league mark (21- 12 overall), but Westfield State earned the top seed in the tournament by winning a conference tie-breaker.
Senior Jackie Mason (Florida, Mass.) paces the Owls at the plate with a .470 batting average that includes 47 hits, a school record eight triples and 23 stolen bases, while sophomore Alicia Gardner (Athol, Mass.) follows at a .342 clip with four triples. Senior Chelsea Sylvia (South Dartmouth, Mass.) has posted a 14-4 mark to date with a 1.63 earned run average and six shutouts for Westfield State.
Bridgewater State brings an overall mark of 25-9 into postseason play along with a 10-2 MASCAC slate under Head Coach Lori Salvia, as the Bears are led offensively by senior Allie LeBlanc (Somerset, Mass.), who boasts a .500 batting average that includes 54 hits, 13 doubles and 45 RBI. Sophomore Tracey Sanko (Windsor, Conn.) follows at .442 with 50 hits and 13 RBI, while senior Alyssa Verronneau (Acushnet, Mass.) has notched an 11-4 mark and 2.87 earned run average to go with six shutouts to date.
Framingham State claimed the third seed in this year’s MASCAC Championships with an 8-4 league slate under Head Coach Rich Paulhus (11-25 overall), as the Rams are led at the plate by freshman Christy Ulak (Rehoboth, Mass.), who sports a .373 batting average with 41 hits, seven doubles and 17 RBI. Senior Liz Ranton (Milton, Mass.) follows at a .301 clip with 25 hits and three stolen bases, while senior Katelyn Pacheco (Acushnet, Mass.) has notched five wins for Framingham State with three shutouts to date.
MCLA rounds out the 2009 MASCAC championship field, as Head Coach Kristin Parzych’s Trailblazers posted a 4-8 conference mark this spring and stand at 10-20 overall entering the post-season. Senior Rachel Desautels (Readsboro, Vt.) leads the charge for MCLA with a .419 batting average that includes 36 hits, four homers and 28 RBI, while sophomore Kate Ouellette (Norwood, Mass.) follows at a .318 clip. Freshman Hadley Ameen (North Adams, Mass.) has posted five victories and a pair of shutouts inside the circle for the Trailblazers to date.
Bridgewater State captured the 2008 MASCAC Softball Championship with a 5-1 win over Westfield State in the title game.
2009 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Softball Championships
(Double Elimination Format)
THURSDAY, APRIL 30TH - FIRST ROUND
Game #1: #3 Framingham State (11-25, 8-4) at #2 Bridgewater State (25-9, 10-2) 3:30 pm
Game #2: #4 MCLA (10-20, 4-8) at #1 Westfield State (21-12, 10-2) 4:00 pm
SATURDAY, MAY 2ND - SEMI-FINALS (WESTFIELD, MASS.)
Game #3: Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2 11:00 am
Game #4: Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 1:30 pm
Game #5: Winner Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4 4:00 pm
SUNDAY, MAY 3RD - CHAMPIONSHIP (WESTFIELD, MASS.)
Game #6: Winner Game #4 vs. Winner Game #5 Noon
Game #7: Winner Game #4 vs. Winner Game #5 (if necessary) 30 min. following