Softball: Garnet Bow Out at CC Championships
HAVERFORD, Pa. - Ursinus junior ace Mallory Greene allowed one run on six hits while sophomore Erin McHugh and senior Marci Logan collected two hits as the Bears downed Swarthmore 4-1 at the 2006 Centennial Conference Championships on Sunday morning on the campus of Haverford College.
Junior first baseman Kelly Siano and freshman centerfielder Lauren Walker led the Garnet two hits. Siano tallied the lone run for Swarthmore, coming on a her second home of the season, a solo shot in the fourth inning.
With the victory, Ursinus (30-7) advances to the face top-seed Haverford to decide the 2006 Centennial champion.
The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, putting an unearned run across when sophomore Jessica Cherry scored on Logan's RBI single to right.
Ursinus added two more in the fourth, taking the 3-0 lead when Ellie Knise drove in senior Kelly DeBow with a single up the middle.
The Garnet got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, when Siano drove an inside fastball from Greene over the left field fence. It is the 10th four-bagger hit by Swarthmore this season, easily breaking the school record set in 1998 and matched in 2005.
Ursinus answered with a run in the top of the fifth; McHugh reached on an infield single, stole second, and scored on junior Mary Reid's single to center.
Swarthmore refused to go quietly, working a rally in the bottom of the seventh against Greene, the two-time Centennial Pitcher of the Year. Senior catcher Christina Procacci drew a one-out walk (the 104th of her career) and Walker beat out a high hopper over the first base bag. Senior right fielder Danielle Miller grounded a ball to third where Bears' third baseman Sarah Hennessey tagged out Procacci. Garnet freshman Christine Sendelsky, a first-team All-CC selection in 2006, came to the plate and the Bears pitched around the first-year slugger for the second time today. Greene worked ahead in the count on Swarthmore's next batter, sophomore Katie Gold. The Garnet shortstop cracked a 1-2 pitch back in the box and Greene made a nice stab at the ball, calmly throwing to first to end the game.
Greene (14-6) worked all seven innings for her second victory of the championship, allowing one run on eight hits while striking out six. Freshman right-hander Alexandra Zelaski (11-6) struck out four batters in seven innings for Swarthmore, allowing two earned runs on eight hits while walking only one.
Swarthmore head coach Renee Clarke is the fifth Garnet coach (second in 2006) to win a Centennial Conference playoff game. She joins Lee Wimberly (men's basketball - 1997), Karen Borbee (field hockey - 2000), Adrienne Shibles (women's basketball - 2001, '02, '05), and Jeremy Loomis (women's tennis - 2006).
Swarthmore, making its first-ever appearance in the Centennial playoffs, now stands at 23-17 on the season and will wait to find out if they will be granted a berth in the E.C.A.C. Softball Championships.