MAY 12, 2006
KING'S WINS THIRD GAME, BUT DROPS FOURTH TO BE ELIMINATED FROM NCAA REGIONALSSALISBURY, MD -- After splitting its first two games on Thursday King's College softball team saw its outstanding season come to an end on Friday as the Lady Monarchs downed Neumann College 8-4, but fell to Moravian 1-0 in the NCAA Regional Championships at Salisbury University, Salisbury, Md.
The fifth-seeded Lady Monarchs, who defeated fourth-seeded Moravian 3-2 in a first-round meeting on Friday, finished the season with a fine 38-9 record, equaling highest number of wins in school history
In its game against Neumann, King's scored a pair of runs in the first inning when Nikki Kotula, Mari Valonis, and Kate Shiffer each drew walks to load the bases. Leanne Harvey then delivered a two-run double to get the Lady Monarchs on the board.
Neumann would answer with two runs in the second inning, but King's took a 3-2 lead when Valonis launched a towering home run over the centerfield fence to put the Lady Monarchs back on top.
King's added two more runs in the fourth when Kelsey Shreaves walked, moved to second on a bunt by Cassy Shiffer, the advanced to third on a base hit by Annie Drimones. Kotula then followed with a two-run single to up the King's lead to 5-2.
After Neumann added a pair of runs to cut the lead to 5-4 in the fifth, Kate Shiffer drew a leadoff walk. Shreaves would advance pinch runner Nicole Conger with a bunt and would later score on a Neumann error to push the score to 6-4.The Lady Monarchs put the game away with a two-run sixth when Drimones singled and stole second base. Abbey Knoblauch followed with an RBI double to right centerfield before Kotula came through with a run-scoring single to close out the scoring.
Kotula led King's by going 2-for-3 with three RBI while Knoblauch and Drimones added two hits each. Harvey was 1-for-3 with two RBI while Valonis went 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
Shreaves (13-3) picked up the pitching victory, allowing four runs, two that were earned, on seven hits with five strikeouts.
King's second game of the day was a pitcher's duel between Kotula and Moravian senior all-American Meghan Hennessy.
Moravian pushed across the lone run of the contest in the fifth inning when Lauren Homa drew a walk and later scored from second on a single to centerfield by Justine Black.
King's best scoring chance came in the bottom half of the fifth when Harvey singled and moved to second on a one-out bunt by Cassy Shiffer. Drimones would then ground out to second to end the threat.
The Lady Monarchs would manage just three hits off of Hennessy (23-6), while the Greyhounds would register only five hits off of Kotula (12-4).
Valonis and Drimones would produce the other two hits for the Lady Monarchs.
Leanne Harvey was named to the Regional All-Tournament Team for King's.
King's College
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Questions or comments to: Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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