Abbey Knoblauch 8
Abbey Knoblauch went 4-for-4 with two runs scored in the 4-3 NCAA loss to St. John Fisher

King's Softball Rally Falls Short in 4-3 NCAA Loss to St. John Fisher

5/8/2009 12:37:48 PM

MAY 8, 2009

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KING'S SOFTBALL EDGED BY ST. JOHN FISHER 4-3 IN NCAA TOURNAMENT, KNOBLAUCH NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
 
ITHACA, NY -- St. John Fisher built a 3-0 lead after three innings and added the deciding run in the seventh inning to hold off late King's College comeback as the Cardinals registered a 4-3 victory at the NCAA Division III National Tournament Regional Championships Friday in Ithaca, NY.

With the win, third-seeded St. John Fisher remains alive in the event, improving to 31-11 on the year. Seventh-seeded King's sees its fine season come to an end with a 24-14 mark.
 
Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Samantha Vara led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Kristi Bradley walked, Jamie Harmon delivered a two-run double to left centerfield.

King's looked to counter when Abbey Knoblauch singled and moved to second on a Meaghan Galvin bunt. Lauren DeCreny drew a walk and an infield out advanced both runners to third and second respectively. The Lady Monarchs were unable to convert, however, when Cardinal hurler Amanda Shevchuk registered the final out of the inning with a strikeout.

After sitting the Cardinals down in the top of the second, King's came to bat in the bottom of the frame and again managed to get its leadoff batter on base when Christie Parfitt stroked a single to left field. The Lady Monarchs would again miss out on another opportunity with an infield pop out and two infield ground outs to end the inning.

Fisher took advantage in the third when Kelly Jones led off with a single, advanced to second on a bunt, and scored on a RBI single from Harmon to build a 3-0 lead.

The Lady Monarchs again failed to convert in the bottom of the third when Knoblauch led off with a single and moved to second on a fielding error on the play. Fisher once again denied King's as Shevchuk induced an infield pop up, and two infield ground outs to end the inning.

King's finally converted in the fifth when Katie Fry tallied a one-out single and Knoblauch doubled to center, moving Fry to third. Galvin followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Fry, while a DeCreny grounder to second was misplayed, allowing Knoblauch to score from third, cutting the lead to 3-2.

After a scoreless sixth, Fisher pushed across what proved to be the deciding run of the game. After Vara singled. O'Brien reached base on a force out at second. Bradley then lofted a deep fly ball to left centerfield that hit the top of the fence, resulting in a RBI double and scoring O'Brien from first-base to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

King's would attempt to rally in the bottom of the seventh when Knoblauch led off with a double and Galvin stroked a RBI single to right field to cut the lead to 4-3. After DeCreny popped out, Fry ripped a screaming line drive down the first base line. Fisher first-baseman Carissa Carlson, however, would make a lunging catch and managed to tag out Galvin to put a sudden end to the King's rally.

Harmon led the way offensively by going 2-for-3 with three RBI while Vara, Bradley, and Meghan Graves added two hits each for the Cardinals. Shevchuk picked up the pitching victory for the Cardinals, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits with two walks and one strikeout.

Knoblauch, who was named to the all-tournament team, paced the King's attack by going 4-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, while concluding her outstanding career with 208 base hits, the second most in program history. Galvin, Loring, Fry, and Parfitt all added one hit each for King's, which stranded seven runners on base in the game. Hoerner (16-8) took the pitching loss, allowing four runs on 10 hits, striking out four hitters while walking two batters.

Note:  The all-tournament team was announced Sunday after the regional championship was won by Cortland State.

All-Tournament Team
C - Nicole Sabuda, Buffalo State

1b - Emily Ringen, Cortland

2b - Donnalyn Cross, Cortland

3b - Jackie Begnoche, Cortland

ss - Krystin Lekki, Buffalo State

of - Samantha Vara, St. John Fisher

of - Lauren O'Brien, St. John Fisher

of - Kim Grimes, Rochester

p - Katie Finch, Cortland

p - Jenna Frieling, Buffalo State

dp - Marissa Mariano, Buffalo State

 

at-large - Abbey Knoblauch, King's

at-large - Brittany Celeste, Rochester

at-large - Lindsay Macaluso, Rochester

at-large - Sarah James, Keuka

 

 




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