MAY 2, 2009
KING'S SOFTBALL CROWNED 2009 FREEDOM CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
EDWARDSVILLE – The King's College softball team scored all six runs in the second inning to post a 6-3 victory over defending champion DeSales University as the Lady Monarchs captured the 2009 Freedom Conference championship with a 6-3 victory Saturday at the Wilkes University Ralston Complex.
With the win, King's improved to 24-12 on the and earned an automatic berth into the 2009 NCAA Division III National Tournament. King's solidified its stance as the team of the 2000 decade as the program won its eighth Freedom Conference title since the 2000 season while securing its ninth NCAA national tournament bid in the last 10 years.
King's entered the tournament as the fourth seed and advanced to the title game on Friday with an opening round 7-5 victory over top-seeded Misericordia and a 6-4 victory over second –seeded DeSales. DeSales played its way back through the loser's bracket to set up a rematch with King's.
After a scoreless first inning, DeSales scored first when Kate Steiner drew a leadoff walk to start the second inning. After an infield out and a sacrifice bunt to second, Kyra Monarek delivered a RBI single to right field to plate Steiner, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
King's scored all the runs it would need in the bottom half of the second when winning pitcher Lindsey Hoerner (left) walked and moved to second on a single up the middle by Christie Parfitt. The Lady Monarchs loaded the bases when Gretchen Tholen reached base on a fielder's choice as Hoerner beat the throw to third on the infield ground ball. Samantha Hornberger then stoked a double to centerfield to drive in two runs, giving King's a 2-1 lead. Katie Fry then followed with a single up the middle to bring home two more runs, upping the Lady Monarch advantage to 4-1.
The scoring continued when Meaghan Galvin reached base on a one-out bunt single, advancing Fry to second, before Lauren DeCreny belted an RBI double to left center to push the score to 5-1. Becky Loring would pad the lead when her RBI single to left field upped the score to 6-1.
DeSales responded in the third inning when Jamie Pfitzenmayer delivered a leadoff home run to cut the score to 6-2. One out later Kensecki reached base on an infield single, then moved to second on an infield out. After an infield error by King's, Kelly Moran's two-run single cut the lead to 6-3.
King's attempted to counter in the bottom of the third when Hornberger smacked a one-out double to right centerfield. But the Lady Monarchs were unable to take advantage with back-to-back outs as the score remained the same.
Hoerner held DeSales at bay, keeping the Bulldogs without a hit over the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings as King's maintained its 6-1 lead heading into the Bulldog's final at-bat in the top of the seventh inning.
DeSales attempted to rally when Kelli Andrews posted a one-out single to left field. After a fly ball to left center resulted in the second out, Jen Lococo singled up the middle to give the Bulldogs runners at first and second. Kate Steiner then popped up to Tholen at third-base for the final out of the game.
Hornberger led King's by going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored while Fry was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run. DeCreny was 2-for-3 with a RBI while Loring finished 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Hoerner was named the tournament most valuable player as she went 2-0 with a save in King's three games. In the title game, she scattered seven hits over seven innings, allowing three runs, two earned, with a pair of strikeouts. She also fielded her position extremely well, snaring three potential hits up the middle, all resulting in outs.
It was a gutty week for King's which finished th regular-season in fifth-place in the Freedom Conference. The Lady Monarchs won an eight-inning 3-2 verdict over host Wilkes to advacne to the championship series where it entered as the fourth-seed. The Lady Monarchs then defeated the first and second seeded squads in three consecutive games to claim the conference title.
King's will now await word on its NCAA tournament destiny which is expected to be announced Monday morning. Three possible regional sites for King's will be Ithaca College (NY), Salisbury University (Md.), and Ramapo College (NJ).
