MAY 5, 2007KING'S SOFTBALL WINS FREEDOM CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
WILKES-BARRE -- Senior all-American Mari Valonis (left) belted a fifth inning grand slam home run and freshman hurler Lindsey Hoerner (below right) earned tournament MVP honors after having a hand in each victory as the King's College softball team won the 2007 Freedom Conference championship with a 6-3 victory over host Wilkes University Saturday at the Ralston Complex.
The win came following a 5-1 Wilkes victory in the first-round of the championship series.
With the victory, Kings' improved to 33-7 and clinched its seventh Freedom Conference title in the past eight years. King's also earned an NCAA Division III National Tournament berth for the eighth straight season.Wilkes would score the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning when Gina Stefanelli hit a solo home run over the left centerfield fence with two outs.
King’s would cash in during the fifth inning when Abbey Knoblauch and Justine Maggio led off with back-to-back singles. Leanne Harvey would then bunt and safely reached base on a Wilkes throwing error to load the bases with no outs. Valonis would then come to bat and drilled a grand-slam home run over the right centerfield fence off Wilkes' star pitcher Laurie Agresti to give King’s a 4-1 lead.Wilkes would look to rally in the bottom of the sixth when Stefanelli hit a solo home run, her second of the day, to bring Wilkes to within 4-2. Melissa Bracone then followed with a one-out single to center. After an infield out moved Bracone to second, Hoerner struck out Kathy Dalton to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, King’s tacked on two more runs when Valonis reached base on a leadoff bunt and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hoerner. After an infield out advanced Valonis to third, Bidwell gave King’s a 5-2 lead with a two-out RBI bunt single. Christie Parfitt came through with a base hit to right field, moving Bidwell to second, and Meghan Galvin would stoke an RBI single to center to give the Lady Monarchs a 6-2 advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Wilkes looked to keep its hopes alive when Julie Henry led off with a single, but King’s turned a critical double play. Sarah Miller would then hit a solo home run to left field to cut the lead to 6-3. Hoerner, however, would retire the final batter of the game.
Hoerner was named most valuable player of the event, going 2-0 in the circle with a save. In the final game she scattered six hits and gave up three runs, all on solo home runs. She struck out four batters without issuing a walk. Knoblauch went 3-for-5 while Maggio, and Valonis added two hits each to pace King's 11-hit attack.
Agresti, who became just the fifth player in NCAA Division III history to surpass 1,000-career strikeouts in Friday's tournament opener, took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out 10 batters and walking four before leaving the game with two out in the seventh inning.
In the first game of the championship series, Agresti tossed a one-hitter, striking out 13 batters as Wilkes defeated King's 5-1.The game would remain scoreless until the fourth inning when Wilkes pushed across the first run of the contest thanks to a solo home run by Julie Henry. Kerry Finnerty would follow with a bloop single to left field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sarah Miller. After Katie Orr reached base on an error, advancing Miller to third, Stefanelli registered an RBI double to give Wilkes a 2-0 lead.
In the sixth, Alex Ingram would reach base on an infield single and moved to second on a bunt by Orr. Stefanelli then single to left, moving Ingram to third. Bracone would give the Lady Colonels a 3-0 lead with a single just past the outstretched glove of Knoblauch at short. Wilkes would stretch the lead to 5-0 on a King’s error, and a two-run single by Dalton.
King's would finally posted its first hit of the game in the seventh inning when Leanne Harvey beat out a bunt single. Mari Valonis then lofted a long fly ball to the right field fence that was misplayed, leaving the Lady Monarchs with runners at second and third with no outs. After Agresti registered a strikeout, Becky Loring would drive in a run with an infield ground out, cutting the Wilkes advantage to 5-1. Shreaves would then pop out to first base to end the game, forcing the deciding game between the teams.
King's will now await word on its national tournament fate when the pairings are announced Monday.
Freshman pitcher Lindsey Hoerner accepts tourney MVP award
from King's coach Lisa Gigliello (left) and athletic director Cheryl Ish.
King's coach Lisa Gigliello (left) and team captains Leanne Harvey,
Mari Valonis, and Justine Maggio receive Freedom Conference
Championship plaque from King's athletic director Cheryl Ish.
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Questions or comments to: Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
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