APRIL 30, 2015

2015 FREEDOM CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SLATED FOR FRIDAY-SATURDAY AT KING'S

Freedom Conference Tournament Website

King's Tournament Central Page

WILKES-BARRE -- The 2015 Freedom Conference Softball Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at King's College's Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex.  The four team event will feature the top four teams in the Freedom Conference competing in a double-elimination event with the survivor earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

DeSales University enters the event as the top seed and will face host King's in the opening game Friday at 10:00 a.m.  Second-seeded Eastern University will then play third-seeded Misericordia at 12:00 noon.  At 2:00 p.m., the losers of the first two games will square off in an elimination game before the winners of the first two contests will play at 4:00 p.m.

In game-five on Saturday, the game-three winner will play the game-four loser at 11:00 a.m. The victor will advance to the 1:00 p.m. championship game.  If necessary, a deciding game will take place at 3:00 p.m.

Daily ticket prices are set at $5 for adults, $4 seniors, $3 for students, while children under age-six shall be admitted free.

Fans unable to attend can follow each game on LiveStats at the following link: 
http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/softball/

DeSales enters the event with a 14-13 overall record and was 11-3 in Freedom Conference play. The Bulldogs split its regular-season doubleheader with King's, winning the first game 6-2 before dropping the nightcap 5-3.

Pacing DeSales offensively is senior first-team All-Freedom outfielder Carly Bartholomew who bats .432 (32-74) with five home runs, 10 doubles, 23 RBI and 19 runs scored. Junior pitcher-second baseman D.J. McCauley follows at .381 (32-84) with three home runs, eight doubles, 14 RBI, and 17 runs scored. Sophomore outfielder Alexa Beaumont is hitting .376 (32-85) with four home runs, three doubles, 22 RBI, and has scored 24 runs. Junior third-baseman Emily Hockman contributes with a .326 (28-86) average with seven doubles and 12 RBI while freshman infielder Haley Frati posts a .317 (19-60) mark with three home runs, five doubles, and 15 RBI.

The DeSales pitching staff is led by McCauley who is 8-4 with a 3.51 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 82 innings. Freshman Andrea Artesani earned second-team honors after going 5-4 with a 4.52 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 57 innings.

King's, meanwhile, is making a record 16th straight conference tournament berth. The Monarchs, who have won 10 Freedom Conference titles since 2000, is searching for its first since the 2011 campaign. King's fields the youngest team in the field with eight freshmen starters.

Junior first-baseman Amy Kowalczyk earned first-team All-Freedom honors Tuesday after compiling a team-high .398 (35-88) batting average with 10 doubles and 19 RBI. Freshman outfielder Debra Renner was also a first-team choice after hitting .387 (36-93) with seven doubles and a team-best 29 RBI. Freshman second-baseman Samantha Bloom was an honorable mention pick after batting .370 (34-92) with five doubles and 13 RBI. Freshman Alizabeth Ellsworth follows at .349 (22-63) with five doubles while rookie outfielder Brianna DiMaggio checks in at .338 (25-74) with nine RBI and 10 runs scored.

In the circle, senior Allison Herbert was named to the second team after compiling a 4-3 record with a 3.61 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 62 innings over 15 appearances. Junior Rachel Linso is 4-5 with a 5.25 ERA and eight strikeouts in 49 innings over 12 appearances. Senior Robin Klingerman is 4-3 with a 5.63 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 37 innings over 12 appearances while Bloom has pitched in seven games and gone 5-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 36 innings.

Eastern enters the tournament with a 15-17 overall record and are 11-3 in the league, having overcome a 1-13 start to the season. Eastern has won nine straight games and 11 of their last 12 contests. Eastern was relegated to the second-seed based on its doubleheader loss to DeSales in the regular-season.

Sophomore outfielder Erica Pyla-Gibson was named the Freedom Conference "Player of the Year" on Tuesday after finishing the regular-season batting .465 (33-71) with eight doubles and 12 RBI.  Sophomore outfielder Ashton Tomlinson follows at .381 (43-113)  with seven doubles, 18 RBI and 28 runs scored. Junior infielder Kasey Williams is hitting .370 (37-100) with two home runs, seven doubles, and 24 RBI. Sophomore catcher Karlee Kerchersky stands at .333 (23-69) with six home runs and 22 RBI.

In the circle, sophomore Haleigh Williams was named the Freedom Conference "Pitcher of the Year" on Tuesday after going 7-4 and 2.69 ERA in 17 appearances with 67 strikeouts in 86 innings. Sophomore hurler Alyssa Welsh was 4-5 with a 5.31 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 61 innings while fellow sophomore Kristen Waters went 4-5 with a 7.21 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 45 innings.

Misericordia brings the top team record into the tournament with a 24-12 mark while going 10-4 in conference play. The Cougars edged out King's for the third-seed based on its regular-season sweep of the Monarchs.

Senior catcher Megan Hardy earned first-team All-Freedom laurels after batting .385 (42-109) with five home runs, seven doubles, 24 RBI, and scored 25 runs. Sophomore infielder Melanie Quintanilla, a second-team choice, follows at .358 (39-109) with seven doubles, 15 RBI, and 21 runs scored. Senior third-baseman Kristi Seiler stands at .333 (38-114) with five home runs, eight doubles, 30 RBI and 25 runs scored. Melissa Parker follows at .333 (31-93) with eight home runs, four doubles, and 26 RBI. Junior infielder Whitney Ellenberg, another second-team selection, contributes with a .324 (35-108) mark with three home runs, seven doubles, 15 RBI and 31 runs scored. Senior outfielder Sam Hare was an honorable mention pick after batting .313 (30-96) with three home runs, six doubles, 22 RBI and 23 runs scored.

The Cougar pitching staff is led by sophomore Alissa Steier who earned first-team All-Freedom honors after going 12-8 with a 2.83 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 119 innings. Freshman Maddie Stebich was 8-2 with a 4.65 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 62 innings. Sophomore Bailee Schies, the 2014 Freedom "Pitcher of the Year" was injured most of the year but returned late in the season to go 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA and seven strikeouts in 20 innings.