Loretto, PA.- The Merrimack Softball team punched their ticket to their first ever Northeast Conference championship game as they defeated the Long Island University Sharks by a score of 3-2 on Friday morning.
Both defenses were on point from the beginning in this game as
Madison Cerpa made her first of two highlight reel plays in the first inning as she played a hard hit line drive on a hop and came up throwing with a frozen rope to catcher
Madison Metcalf who made a great tag to keep the game scoreless in the first inning. On the offensive side, the Warriors hit the ball hard, stringing together a few extra base hits in the process but fell victim to hard hit balls going right to LIU defenders.
After throwing 5 1/3's scoreless,
Madie Fornwalt was relieved for yesterday's winner
Bry Michitson with the bases loaded. After getting the second out of the inning with a force at the plate,
Madison Cerpa made her second great defensive play of the game, hauling in a long fly ball just in front of the fence to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
In the seventh, the Warriors got off to a perfect start, as
Sofia Palyan led off with a double and
Thiana Brito made it two on base with no one out, after a sacrifice bunt by
Alex Miller the lineup turned over, but the Sharks chose not to pitch to the recently named NEC Player of the Year in
Ellen Hubbard loading the bases with an intentional walk.
Courtney Lanpher would score her third RBI of this years playoff with a sacrifice fly to left scoring
Sam Russalesi to put the Warriors in front. Looking for her chance to put the finishing touches on a magical day,
Madison Cerpa dropped a single into right center field scoring Brito, and the Warriors would get their third run of the inning as
Sydney Samuel reached and scored Hubbard on an infield hit.
In the bottom of the seventh, LIU did not go quietly, loading the bases and scoring twice to cut the lead to one, but the Warriors would clinch the final out as
Sofia Palyan would make the stab on a line drive to third to put the Warriors in the NEC Championship game.
Notes and Numbers:
Quotes:
"I heard my left fielder [
Alex Miller] yelling "Fence!" and I was willing to go through it if needed in a situation like that just for me and my team" –
Madison Cerpa on her catch in the sixth inning.
UP NEXT:
The Warriors will play Long Island University again in the NEC Championship game tomorrow at 12 PM. The game can be seen on ESPN3 or NEC Front Row.
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