BANGOR- The Williams College softball team is headed to the Super Regionals. The Ephs shutout Husson University 4-0 on Saturday in the Championship Round of the NCAA Division III Regionals held at O’Keefe Field to cap off a perfect tournament.
Husson, who needed a victory in the first game to force a second winner take all game two, was stymied by Williams starting pitcher Sadie Leonard. The Eagles only had four baserunners over the first five innings and none got into scoring position (three walks, hit by pitch). Katie Raymond drew a one out walk in the top of the third, and looked as though she had stole second base in a scoreless game. Raymond though was called out for leaving first base early. The Ephs got all they would need in the last of the fourth when Kelly McGuigan led off with a double to right centerfield, and with two outs would score on a Ronni Ramos single to left.
Husson had another great opportunity to break through in the top of the sixth inning. Raymond walked and then stole second, and Josie Cornell got their first hit when she laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and would reach first with an infield single sending Raymond to third base. Cornell also stole second to put two runners into scoring position with no outs. Leonard found her way out of the jam however. She retired Kenzie Dore on a grounder to third, Bulla McCabe on a foul popout to first, and Tori Exel on a groundout to second.
McGuigan and Justine Dunaway both had singles in the bottom half for Williams, before Ramos capped off her big day by providing some insurance with a three-run homerun to leftfield.
Cornell and Julia Gregiore had the lone hits in the loss for Husson. Ana Lang (19-3) suffered the defeat in the circle allowing four runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings. The offense was only able to come up with a total of five runs in the four games they played. Ramos had three hits and all four RBI for Williams College, while McGuigan added two hits. Leonard (14-1) gave up no runs on just two hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts in the complete game 7.0 inning effort. She earned the MVP of the regional, earning two wins by firing 12.0 innings not allowing any runs walking five and striking out 20. The Ephs (26-11), who are the champions out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), are headed back to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2019 and are currently on an eight game win streak. The Eagles end a fantastic season in which they won the North Atlantic Conference for a sixth straight time, achieved a program record 30-game win streak, and hosted a regional for the second time in the last four years. Husson did not lose two games in a row all season, finishing up at 37-6 which is also the most wins in program history.
The NCAA announced the Bangor Regional All-Tournament Team after play was completed on Saturday. Here are the players that were named to the team:
Brooke Sroczinski, graduate pitcher- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Ally Moran, senior pitcher- Framingham State
Makayla Rooney, junior third baseman/catcher- Framingham State
Kenzie Dore, senior third baseman- Husson
Bulla McCabe, junior catcher- Husson
Ana Lang, freshman pitcher- Husson
Ronnie Ramos, senior infielder- Williams College
Katie Blanch, freshman pitcher/first baseman- Williams College
Sydney Fleming, junior catcher- Williams College
Sadie Leonard, sophomore pitcher- Williams College (Regional Tournament MVP)
Recap and videos by Chris Lessner/All photos courtesy of Eric Ogden Photography
