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APRIL 28, 2012
KING'S SOFTBALL SWEEPS FDU, FINISHES IN THREE-WAY TIE FOR FIRST IN FREEDOM BUT FALLS TO THIRD-SEED DUE TO CONFERENCE TIEBREAKERS
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College softball team swept a doubleheader from FDU-Florham in the team's Freedom Conference finals Saturday at the Betzler Athletic Complex.
With the win King's improved to 28-10 and 10-4 in conference play. The sweep allowed King's to finish in a three-way tie for first-place with Manhattanville College and Misericordia University, who were both 10-4. However, due to the conference tiebreaker criteria, King's will be seeded third in next week's Freedom Conference Tournament.
FDU ended its season at 13-17 and 4-10.
In the opener, King's fell behind 1-0 on an unearned run in the top of the first but came back to score two runs in the bottom of the frame. Jenn Harnischfeger walked, moved to second on a bunt by Erin Beane, and scored on a double from Amanda Cardone. Kaitlin Siegfried then delivered a run-scoring single to give the Lady Monarchs a 2-0 lead.
After the Devils tied the game in the third, the game remained tied until King's pushed across the deciding run in the seventh. Rachel Zinni led off with a single, moved to second on a Harnischfeger bunt, and scored from second on a single by Beane.
Zinni and Beane led King's with two hits in the game for King's. Annie Erndl was the winning pitcher for the Lady Monarchs in relief of starter Brittany Haight. Erndl pitched the final three innings without allowing a hit and striking out five batters.
In the night cap, King's took a 1-0 lead when Harnischfeger singled and later scored on a single by Cardone. The Lady Monarchs added two more in the third when Harnischfeger tripled and scored on a infielder grounder by Beane. Two batters later Brittny Baynes delivered a run-scoring single to put King's ahead 3-1.
King's broke the game open with six runs in the fifth, , keyed by RBI doubles from Tina Seber and Nicolette Pizzo, as well as run-scoring singles by Beane and Baynes as the lady Monarchs built a 9-2 advantage.
King's ended the game on the eight-run mercy rule in the sixth when Harnischfeger drew a leadoff walk. After Beane reached base on a bunt and Cardone walked to load the bases, Baynes was hit by a pitch to force in the winning run.
Harnischfeger was 2-for-3 and scored four runs while Cardone went 2-for-2 with a RBI. Baynes was 2-for-3 with three RBI while Beane finished 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Erndl picked up her second pitching victory of the day, scattering nine hits while striking out six batters.
King's will close out the regular-season Tuesday when the Lady Monarchs travel to face the University of Scranton at 4:00 p.m. in the Jessup Softball Complex.
The team will then compete in the Freedom Conference Tournament Friday and Saturday at Manhattanville College. King's will face Misericordia at 1:00 p.m. at Valiant's Field in Purchase, NY.
