SOFTBALL



MARCH 7, 2006

KING'S SOFTBALL SWEEPS NORTHWESTERN

FT. PIERCE, FL -- The King's College softball team improved to 5-1 on the year with a pair of dramatic, late-inning victories over NAIA Division II Northwestern College Tuesday in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

King's won the first game 6-5 while taking the nightcap 11-8 in eight innings.

In the first game, the Lady Monarchs trailed 5-3 heading into their final at-bat. After Cassy Shiffer drew a two-out walk, Leanne Harvey tripled in pinch runner Abbey Knoblauch to cut the lead to 5-4. Kate Shiffer would then knot the score at 5-5 with an RBI single and advanced to second on the throw home. Sue Roccia walked and both runners would advance on a wild pitch. Shiffer would then score the game-winning run on a passed ball. 

Harvey and Annie Drimones led the way with a 2-for-3, one RBI effort while Justine Maggio was also 2-for-3. Mari Valonis added an RBI  single.  Freshman Colleen Spadora picked up the pitching victory in relief, tossing three scoreless innings wile striking out four batters.

In the nightcap, the teams entered the eighth inning deadlocked at 7-7. Caitlyn McAndrew began the inning on second base by virtue of the international tiebreaking rules. Julie Bidwell would deliver an RBI double and then score on a single by Drimones to give King's a 9-7 lead. Nikki Kotula would then drill a two-run home run to put the lady Monarchs on top 11-7.  King's would surrender a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to hold on for the victory.

Bidwell was the hitting star for King's with a 4-for-4 showing, including three triples and three RBI. Kotula was 3-for-4 and added a double along with her clinching home run. Drimones was 2-for-5 with two RBI while Roccia also added two hits.  Freshman Amanda Rizner went the distance to pick up the win, allowing five earned runs and striking out two batters.

King's will be idle until Friday and Saturday when it competes in the Salisbury Invitational Tournament.
 


King's College
133 North River Street  Wilkes-Barre, PA  18711
1 (888) KINGS PA

Questions or comments to:  Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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