From University of Rochester Athletics
Senior Nina Korn slammed a three run home run in the top of the
ninth inning to snap a 0-0 tie and carry Rochester to a 3-0 victory
over 15th-ranked Rowan University in game two of the
Super Regionals in the NCAA Division III Softball
Championships.
Rochester won the best-of-three series two games to zero. The
Yellowjackets advance to the NCAA Division III National
Championships in Tyler, Texas. The tournament will begin on
Thursday and conclude its double-elimination format on either May
26 or 27.
This is Rochester's first trip to softball's final round. The
Yellowjackets are making their fifth appearance in the NCAAs this
season. The program is 17 years old. It began in 1998.
Freshman Eleni Wechsler earned the victory. She pitched 8.1
innings, allowing two hits, walked two, and struck out eight.
Junior Brittany Grage pitched 0.2 innings of relief, allowing one
hit. Wechsler is 15-4. She pitched the first seven innings. Grage
started the bottom of the eighth. She pitched to four batters.
Wechsler returned for two more hitters to finish the inning, then
set down the Profs in order in the ninth.
Rowan's Krysti Maronski scattered four hits, walked two, and struck
out 16 in nine innings. She finished the season 23-7.
For Korn, the home run was her 14th this season. In
Thursday's opener, she hit a three-run HR that tied the
single-season mark she set a year ago.
Maronski dominated in stretches. She set down the first 10 hitters,
six by strikeout. In the fourth, she walked Meg Hennessy and Korn,
then struck out Wechsler and Lauren Muni.
"She's changed who she was as a pitcher," said Rowan head coach Kim
Wilson. "She's doubled the number of strikeouts she had from last
year and has been able to keep hitters off balance."
Rochester didn't get a hit off Maronski until Shelby Corning
singled to center with two down in the fifth. She retired 10
straight after that before the Yellowjackets broke the tie in the
ninth.
Wechsler worked out of a jam in the third. Shannon Costello doubled
to the base of the right field wall and Demariz Mercado reached
when her ground ball to third bounced off Grage's glove. Wechsler
struck out Shilah Snead, retired Jennifer Arcella on a fly to
right, then struck out Ashley DeYoung.
Costello nearly scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
She singled through the right side and advanced to second on a wild
pitch by Grage. After Mercardo fouled out, Snead grounded to
Wechsler at third. She looked Costello back to second, then threw
to first. Snead beat the throw and Costello was able to run to
third, beating the relay across the field. Snead stole second.
Arcella grounded to Tayler Fravel who threw home and Alyssa Murillo
blocked the plate with Mercado called out on a close play. Arcella
was able to advance to second.
Wechsler returned to the mound and Grage went back to third base.
DeYoung walked, but Wechsler struck out Alysa Romero to end the
inning. "That stop on defense was big," said Rochester shortstop
Meghan Hennessy.
"The bottom of their lineup hit the ball hard," said Rochester
coach Margaret Yerdon-Grange. "That's why I put Brittany in to
start the eighth. Eleni did well against the top of the order. The
strikeout of Romero was a big play."
Wilson agreed. "I thought we did a great job hitting the ball
hard," she said. "Costello flied out to deep center and Jessica
(Phillips) hit it to deep left."
In the Rochester ninth, Fravel lined a single up the middle leading
off. That brought up Hennessy and Rowan crept forward, anticipating
a bunt.
Only one thought crept through Hennessy's mind as she approached
the plate. "Don't pop it up," she said, smiling. "(I wanted to)
make sure I got it down. If I'm safe, that's good, but get it on
the ground."
Hennessy bunted right in front of the plate and beat the throw to
first for a single. Korn came to the plate with two on. Maronski's
first changeup was out of the zone. The second was flat and Korn
hit a long home run over the centerfield fence.
"I was focused on Meg moving Tayler over," said Korn. "I was
looking for anything I can poke through the infield. I felt if I
could make solid contact through the infield, I could score
Tayler."
In the Rowan ninth, Wechsler struck out Maronski. "After the first
out, we all took a deep breath," Hennessy said. Catcher Meagan Lee
grounded the ball to deep short where Hennessy's throw beat her to
first base for the second out. The infielders headed to the mound
for just a moment. "Eleni's a very calm person," Hennessy said.
"She's doing her job and we all had to do ours," Korn
commented.
Wechsler induced Phillips to hit a soft popup to Grage, ending the
game.
"This is what you try to accomplish every year," said
Yerdon-Grange. "We've come together this year. Our senior
leadership has been tremendous. Everything they do helps our team
get to this point."
"It's huge," Korn said, of the Yellowjackets reaching the final
found. "I'm still on cloud nine. I can't fathom that we're going to
Texas. I've watched the (Division I) College World Series on
television since I was a little girl. Now, I'm going to that
round."
NOTES: This was the third 'clinching' victory
Wechsler has pitched in the last 12 days. On May 4, she threw an
8-0 shutout over RPI as Rochester won the Liberty League title and
automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. On May 11, she defeated
Alfred, 6-0, to clinch the NCAA Regional title and move the
Yellowjackets into the Super Regionals.
All-Tournament Team:
Shilah Snead, Rowan
Jennifer Arcella, Rowan
Ashley DeYoung, Rowan
Krysti Maronski, Rowan
Tayler Fravel, Rochester
Meg Hennessy, Rochester
Eleni Wechsler, Rochester
Lauren Muni, Rochester
Brittany Grage, Rochester
Most Outstanding Performer: Nina Korn, Rochester