Owls Softball Falls to Moravian, 2-1 in NCAA Extra Innings

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Moravian's Sarah DiStefano's single over a drawn in outfield in the bottom of the eighth delivered a 2-1, walk off win over Westfield State in the first semifinal of the day at the NCAA D3 softball Bethlehem regional.

With the loss, Westfield moves to the loser's bracket and will play an elimination game at 4:00 p.m. today, against the winner of Cortland State vs. Bowdoin, today's 1:40 p.m. elimination game.

Westfield first- year starter Isabella Schaeffer delivered a strong pitching performance, tossing a complete game for the Owls, working 7-2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and two runs.

Moravian scored one run in the third after an RBI double from Natalie Chloros, but Schaeffer then got three straight fly outs to end the inning, and kept the Greyhounds scoreless, punching out the last two hitters in the seventh inning to punctuate her performance.

Westfield scored their lone run in the sixth inning, as the sun came out on a damp and windy day, and Westfield's Hannah Wodecki responded by lacing a double all the way to the wall through the left centerfield gap.  Two hitters later Kassidy LaTour flicked a double into the right field corner to score Wodecki and tie the game 1-1.

Westfield put two on with two out in the top half of the eighth, but DiStefano, the 'Hounds starter got a fly out from Lyla Dwyer to end the inning and the threat.

Through a quirk of the NCAA tournament schedule, Westfield, the top seed in the region ended up the visiting team in the game, as none of the other protocols were satisfied to determine the "home" team which would bat last, and the Owls lost the coin flip last nite to be the "visiting" team despite being the higher seed.

Schaeffer (L, 6-1) who was making just her sixth start of the season, pitched admirably, scattering nine hits, striking out two and walking none.

DiStefano (W, 17-6) won her 17^th game of the season, going all eight innings, allowing 10 hits, walking two and striking out four.  Moravian is looking for a second straight regional tournament win and advances to Saturday's championship round with a 2-0 record in the tournament thus far.

Westfield had a chance to tie the game in the fourth inning, when Wodecki singled, followed by base hits from Mia Alfonso, and then LaTour. Wodecki was waved home on Alonso's base hit to left , but Chloros throw to the plate easily beat Wodecki for a stand-up tag play, and a fielder's choice and a ground out got Moravian out of the inning with the 1-0 lead.

Westfield got Arielle Ostman to third with a bloop single, a steal and a wild pitch in the fifth, but Sarah Hough tried to check her swing with two out, which resulted in a weak ground ball to second to end that threat before the Owls tied the game in the sixth.