Another Golden Day for Swat Softball
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Swarthmore senior Katherine Gold tied a Centennial Conference record with five hits as the Garnet softball team flexed its offensive muscle in a 10-4 win over Lake Erie at the 2008 E.C.A.C. South Softball Championships Saturday on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College. Swarthmore, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, split a pair of games, falling to top-seed Misericordia 3-2 earlier in the day.
The Garnet (23-19), competing from the loser’s bracket in the double-elimination tournament, are scheduled for a re-match with Washington & Jefferson on Sunday, May 11 at 10:00 a.m. Misericordia won both games on Saturday to hold court in the winner’s bracket, facing the winner of the 10:00 a.m. Should Swarthmore advance past Washington & Jefferson, it would need to beat Misericordia twice to claim the championship trophy. Fans can follow the action live, by clicking here.
Saturday’s action was delayed due to torrential rains that pelted the western part of Pennsylvania, forcing the Garnet women to wait just a bit longer to hit the field. The team grinded through the early stages of finals week and a Friday-night bus ride that lasted almost five hours, to reach the bright lights of postseason play (the first in program history).
That recipe had all the ingredients for a slow start but junior captain Alexandra Zelaski (Middleburg, Ohio / Midpark) took the ball into the circle and posted her best pitching performance of the season against Misericordia (34-12), finalists in this year’s Pennsylvania Athletic Conference title game. Zelaski (5-9) spread eight hits over six innings, striking out six batters while walking just one.
“The team was calm and collected while sitting around in the rain delay,” said Swarthmore head coach Renee Clarke. “Then having Al go out and throw her best game allowed the team’s confidence to grow.”
The Garnet took an early 2-1 lead against the Cougars. Junior Christine Sendelsky (Edison, N.J. / John P. Stevens) doubled to lead off the second inning and catcher Michele Perch (Kinnelon, N.J. / Kinnelon) drove her with a two-out infield single. Swarthmore’s second run came in the next inning as junior Lauren Walker (Fallston, Md. / The Hotchkiss School) singled and scored on double to right-center off the bat of sophomore Kathryn Riley (Dagsboro, Del. / Indian River).
The Cougars re-captured the lead for good in the bottom of the third as senior Kristen Norris (Lake Hopatcong, N.J. / Pope John XXIII) belted her sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot.
Sendelsky and Perch (pictured below) had two hits apiece for Swarthmore.
With the loss, Swarthmore entered the first elimination game against Lake Erie, 7-0 losers to host Washington & Jefferson. The Storm (22-20) pitching had the displeasure of viewing first-hand the potential of the Swarthmore bats.
The Garnet had six different hitters get a least two hits, including a 5-for-5 effort from Gold (Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill East) in the clean-up spot. The five hits tied the Centennial Conference record achieved by four others, most recent coming in 2001 (Samantha Adams from Gettysburg). It is also believed to be a school record. Swarthmore as a team accounted for 20 hits, the most in a single game in the last six seasons.
Go right down the Swarthmore line-up to find impressive efforts at the plate. Freshman Krista Scheirer (Norristown, Pa. / Germantown Academy) had four hits (a career-best) in five at bats, driving in three runs while scoring twice. Sendelsky had two hits, including her fourth career triple, while scoring once. Gold was 5-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. Riley had a single, double, drove in a run and scored another while freshman Lauren Marczi (Chester, N.J. / West Morris) (pictured lower right) went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Garnet scored in five of the seven innings, highlighted by a four-spot in the top of the fourth inning. Consecutive RBI doubles by Gold and Riley helped Swarthmore build a 6-1 lead and Gold struck again with another RBI two-bagger in the fifth as the Garnet built a seven-run lead for starting pitcher Riley (pictured, top).
Riley (18-9) extended her school-record win total, throwing 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.