MAY 3, 2003
BOB ZIADIEGENEWSKI TOSSES NO-HITTER AS KING'S SOFTBALL TEAM WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT MAC FREEDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
WILKES-BARRE -- King's College sophomore Sarah Genewski picked the biggest stage to throw her first collegiate no hitter as the Lady Monarch hurler blanked Lycoming College 1-0 in the MAC Freedom Conference championship game Saturday at Betzler Fields.
With the win, King's (24-9) won its fourth straight conference championship and gained an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
Genewski was outstanding in sitting down the first 12 Lycoming batters before Amy Curry led off the fifth inning with a walk. After Jackie Chestnut reached base on an infield error, Miranda Newcomer lofted a fly ball to right field, advancing he Warrior base runners to second and third with one out. Genewski then posted a crucial strikeout of Katie Viebrock for the second out before inducing Kate Kresgie to pop up to first base. From there, Genewski would not allow a base runner for the final two innings and secured her milestone no-hitter when Chestnut grounded out to shortstop Jess Harvey to end the game.
The game featured a pair of outstanding pitching efforts as Lycoming freshman Morgan Mantle limited King's to just four hits. The Lady Monarchs would the deciding run in the sixth inning when Harvey drilled a a line-drive double to left centerfield. Maria Zangardi of Seton Catholic then flied out to centerfield as Harvey tagged and moved to third. Stacey Preambo then lofted a clutch sacrifice fly to left field as Harvey tagged and scored easily with what proved to be the game-winning run.
King's missed out on a golden scoring opportunity in the first inning when Harvey stroked a base hit to right centerfield. The ball appeared to be headed to the fence but Lycoming outfielder Marianne Simpson made an outstanding play to cut the ball off and hold Harvey to a single. The play proved crucial as Zangardi followed with a double, moving Harvey to third base. Mantle would retire the next two batters, keeping the Lady Monarchs off the board until the deciding sixth inning.
Harvey led King's with two base hits while Zangardi and Christen Piccola garnered the Lady Monarchs two remaining hits. Genewski, who improved to 13-6 with the victory, struck out three batters and yielded just one walk.
Morgan, who fell to 10-5, posted five strikeouts and did not walk a batter as Lycoming concluded its season with a 22-11-1 record.
King's moves on to the Division III National Tournament Regional Championships and will learn who and where it will play on Monday.
LYCOMING 3 - DREW 0 (Consolation Finals)WILKES-BARRE -- Amanda Gery pitched a three-hitter to lead Lycoming to a 3-0 victory over Drew University in the consolation semi-finals of the MAC Freedom Conference Softball Championships Saturday at King's College, Wilkes-Barre.
Lycoming took a 1-0 first inning lead when Marianne Simpson singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Janna Reitz. Jess Feerrar then ripped an RBI triple to score Simpson. The Warriors added their final two runs in the third inning when Morgan Rudelitch was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Simpson. Reitz then grounded to short but Rudelitch was called out for runner's interference allowing Reitz to reach first base. Feerrar then stroked another RBI triple to score Reitz before Amy Curry doubled in Feerrar to give Lycoming a 3-0 lead it would never relinquish
Gery, meanwhile, was dominant in striking out five Drew batters and allowing just one Ranger to reach third base. The Warrior sophomore improved to 10-3 with the win. Ferrarr led Lycoming with a 3-for-3 effort, including two RBI. Kresge was 2-for-3 while Simpson, Reitz, and Curry posted one hit each for Lycoming.
Kristen Mignoli tripled for Drew while Debbie Waz and Alison Grill posted the other Ranger base hits. Erica Mehalick was tagged with the loss, allowing all three runs in three innings of work. Michelle Orloski pitched four scoreless innings of relief and allowed just three hits.
The win enabled the Warriors to advance to the MAC Freedom title matchup game against host King's.
LYCOMING 3 - DeSALES 1 (Consolation First Round)
WILKES-BARRE -- Lycoming overcame a 1-0 deficit with a three-run fourth inning as the Warriors posted a 3-1 victory over DeSales in first-round consolation game of the MAC Freedom Conference Softball Championships Saturday at King's College, Wilkes-Barre.
DeSales took a 1-0 lead in he second inning when Nicole Letinski singled and moved to second on an infield out. Jenna Rau then reached base on an infield error, allowing Letinski to score an unearned run and give the Bulldogs the early advantage.
Lycoming would counter in the third inning when Jenna Reitz singled and moved to second on a wild pitch by DeSales hurler Kelly Salmon. After a walk to Jess Feerrar, a sacrifice bunt by Amy Curry gave the Warriors runners at second and third with one out. Jackie Chestnut then singled to plate Reitz and tie the score at 1-1. Miranda Newcomer then drilled a two-run triple to give bring home eventual game-winning runs.
Winning pitcher Morgan Mantle would allow fifth and six inning singles the rest of the way to secure a five-hit victory with four strikeouts while improving to 10-4 on the year. Chestnut led Lycoming with a 2-for-3 effort while Reitz and secure the two other Lycoming hits. The victory enabled the Warriors (21-11-1) to move on to the consolation finals against Drew University with the winner moving on to face King's in the title game
Salmon (6-7) was the hard-luck loser for DeSales, allowing just four hits while striking out two batters. Danielle Jenson, Jackie Fasolka, and Rachel Polaha also had hits for DeSales which saw its season end at 16-10.
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Questions or comments to: Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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