Bangor Regional Champ Colby to face Rowan University in Super Regionals next week
BANGOR- Colby College capped off an incredible two days of elimination games at the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament at O’Keefe Field on Sunday, by winning twice over #21 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to capture the first ever regional championship for any NCAA softball team from the state of Maine. Colby won four straight elimination contests out of the losers bracket in their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Mules out of the NESCAC forced a second winner take all game by taking the first one 9-2 over the Engineers. They never trailed jumping out to a 4-0 lead on a bases loaded walk by Avery Lyman in the first inning, along with a RBI single by Carissa Cassidy and a two-run double from Juliana Kiley in the second. They put it away with three more in the sixth on a RBI double from Emma Burnham (Bonny Eagle), a sacrifice fly from Caroline DeSimone, and a Lyman RBI single. Sophia Meade (14-3) picked up her third win in two days in relief in the circle, allowing no runs on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
In the winner take all Game 2, the Mules trailed 2-0 early but came back to gain a 3-2 lead after one inning and 4-3 after two. Colby added four runs of insurance for some breathing room in the fifth. Kathryne Clay (Cape Elizabeth) had a RBI single in that big fifth inning, Julia Berry had a RBI sacrifice fly, and Cassidy tripled in two runs. MIT got two runs back and had the tying run at the plate with one out in the seventh, but Meade came up big again to get out of it and pick up the save. The Engineers out of the NEWMAC ended their season as regional runner-up with a record of 35-11. Cassidy, DeSimone, Lyman, and Clay all had two hits in the decisive game. Cassidy and Clay had two RBI each. Sharlotte Stazinski (10-6) was the second pitcher of the game for Colby and got the win giving up two earned runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Meade recorded her fifth save of the season. In the four elimination wins, Meade went 3-0 with one save allowing one earned run on 10 hits, with four walks and six strikeouts in 15.2 innings. Burnham, Cassidy, Kiley, and Meade were all named to the All-Regional Team. Burnham earned the Most Outstanding Player Award. In the four wins, Burnham was 9-14 (.643) at the plate and had two homeruns, three doubles, seven RBI, two walks, and seven runs scored. The Mules (30-12) will now play Rowan University (40-9) out of the New Jersey Athletic Conference with a site to be announced on Thursday, May 21st and Friday, May 22nd in a best of three super regional series.
