Softball Opens NCAA Regional Play at Saint Anselm

Matchup	#7 Merrimack (31-14) // #2 Saint Anselm (36-10-1)
Date/Time	Thursday, May 10, 2018 (12pm)
Venue	South Athletic Fields // Manchester, N.H.
Multimedia	Watch // Live Stats // Twitter // Instagram

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The seventh seeded Merrimack College softball team will take on the two-seed and host Saint Anselm College Hawks, on Thursday afternoon of regional play in the 2018 NCAA Division II Softball Championship. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. It is the second straight trip for the Warriors to the NCAA Tournament and 15^th appearance overall in program history. The Warriors will play either Pace or Southern New Hampshire on Friday in a double-elimination format.

2018 NCAA Division II Softball Championship Regional Bracket:

East 1 Region (May 10-12)
Game 1: #8 Caldwell vs. #1 Adelphi* 12 p.m. / Thursday, May 10
Game 2: #5 Le Moyne vs. #4 LIU Post, 2:30 p.m. / Thursday, May 10

Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 11 a.m. / Friday, May 11
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 1:30 p.m. / Friday, May 11
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 4 p.m. / Friday, May 11

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 12 p.m. / Saturday, May 12
Game 7 (If Necessary): 2:30 p.m. / Saturday, May 12

East 2 Region (May 10-12)
Game 1: #7 Merrimack vs. #2 Saint Anselm* 12 p.m. / Thursday, May 10
Game 2: #6 Pace vs. #3 Southern N.H., 2:30 p.m. / Thursday, May 10

Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 11 a.m. / Friday, May 11
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 1:30 p.m. / Friday, May 11
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 4 p.m. / Friday, May 11

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 12:30 p.m. / Saturday, May 12
Game 7 (If Necessary): 3 p.m. / Saturday, May 12

*Denotes Host Institution

Last Time Out:

• The Warriors faced Pace University in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinal matchup on the campus of Adelphi University on Thursday, May 3. Merrimack fell, 3-1, in the game.
• Senior Megan Cook, who was named NE10 Pitcher of the Year last week, battled Setters' starter Emma Bernet in the low scoring contest. However, Pace scored a pair of runs in the third and a run in the fifth for a 3-0 lead. Merrimack scored in the sixth inning, as junior Hannah Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to score freshman Abigail Amato from third.

'Mack Facts:

• Merrimack enters the tournament with a 31-14 record and the seventh seed in the region. 
• Cook has had a career year during her senior campaign. The NE10 Pitcher of the Year has 23 wins, 172 strikeouts, 25 complete games, 11 shutouts and an ERA of 1.27.
• Senior Alyssa Williamson has started all 45 games at first base. The two-time NE10 All-Conference First Team selection has a team-best .439 average and 65 hits. She also is second on the team with nine doubles and a slugging percentage of .534. She has knocked in 28 runs. Junior Nicole Nanof has six home runs, a career-best for the NE10 All-Conference Third Team selection, along with a team-high 30 RBI.
• Sophomore Tiffany Mangiameli has stolen 20 bases on the year, which is tied for second in the league. Junior Kristina Terrazzano has knocked in 14 runs, while Johnson has 17 RBI.
• The Warriors offense is tied for second best in the league with a team average of .305. They are also second in the NE10 with 66 stolen bases, and third in the league in runs scored (216), RBI (192) and hits (377).
• The Warriors have made 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including winning a national title back in 1994.

Saint Anselm/Earlier this Season

• The two teams played a three game series in Manchester back on March 31 and April 2. The Hawks took the series 2-1. The Warriors took the first game of the series 7-4, before Saint Anselm won the final two games by scores of 7-1 and 5-4.
• The Hawks reached the NE10 Championship semifinal round, losing to Pace, 2-0. Saint Anselm was the top seed from the Northeast Division in the tournament.
• Saint Anselm has a very strong offense, with seven batters hitting above the .300 clip. Amanda Bickford has a .407 average, scored 37 runs, and has 17 RBI. Megan Murrell has knocked in 45 runs with a .352 average and eight home runs, which is tied for fourth in the NE10. Shannon Colson and Jordan O'Connor have each driven in 27 runs.
• In the circle, Morgan Perry has made 24 starts. She has posted a 19-4 record with 12 complete games. She has 132 strikeouts. Her 1.84 ERA is fourth best in the conference. Courtney Fisher has a 14-5 record with three saves and 16 complete games. She has logged the most innings on the staff with 146.1, with a 1.91 ERA.

Up Next
The Warriors will face either Pace or Southern New Hampshire on Friday in a double-elimination format.