APRIL 21, 2007
BOB ZIADIE
KING'S SOFTBALL SWEEPS DREW TO CLOSE IN ON PLAYOFF BERTH
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College softball team came to within one victory of clinching a Freedom Conference playoff berth as the Lady Monarchs posted a doubleheader sweep of visiting Drew University Saturday at Betzler Fields.
King's won the first game 4-1, then captured the second 10-2 in five innings. With the sweep, King's improved to 24-6 overall and 9-1 in the Freedom Conference. Drew fell to 12-16 and 3-5.
In the opener, the Lady Monarchs struggled at the plate but took a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Annie Drimones walked and Abbey Knoblauch reached base when Drew right fielder Mulligan misplayed a long fly ball. Drimones would score from third on a wild pitch, allowing Knoblauch to advance to third base. Knoblauch would then score on a Drew error.
Drew would cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth when Therese Postel reached base on error and later scored on an RBI single from Cailin McGrorry.
King's, however, would come up big in the bottom half of the sixth when Leanne Harvey and Mari Valonis both led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After Harvey stole third base, Becky Loring delivered an RBI double to right centerfield. Kelsey Shreaves then followed up with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Valonis with the final run of the game.
Kelsey Shreaves picked up the win for King's, scattering 10 hits while striking out two batters.
In the nightcap, Drew took a 1-0 lead in the second when April Jacob reached base on an error and later scored on King's second error of the inning.
The Lady Monarchs would come through with a five-run third when Knoblauch singled and Justine Maggio reached base on an error. Harvey then followed with an RBI single, while Valonis then doubled to drive in another run. Loring then smacked a two-run double to push the score to 4-2. After Loring stole third base, the Lady Monarch sophomore would score on an illegal pitch as Kings' took a 5-2 lead.
After the teams traded runs in the fourth, King's would put the game away in the fifth when Valonis smacked a leadoff triple and scored on a wild pitch. After Julie Bidwell and Christy Parfitt both singled, Amanda Rizner, Meaghan Galvin, and Justine Maggio all came through with run-scoring singles to up the lead to 10-2 as the game was halted due to the eight-run mercy rule.
Rizner improved to 8-2 in the circle with a strong two-hit effort. Loring, Knoblauch, Valonis, and Galvin all had two hits each to pace the King's attack.King's will look to clinch a Freedom Conference playoff berth on Tuesday when the Lady Monarchs travel to Doylestown to face Delaware Valley College in a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.
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
Best if viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.