APRIL 28, 2018

KING'S SOFTBALL SWEEPS DELAWARE VALLEY IN MAC FREEDOM FINALE, CLINCHES 19TH STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TOURNEY BERTH

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College used a pair of outstanding pitching performances to go along with timely hitting as the Monarchs closed out the regular-season with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Delaware Valley University Saturday in the Betzler Complex.

King's won the first game 4-1 before taking the nightcap 4-0. The Monarchs improved to 20-18 and 8-6 in league play. The Aggies slipped to 14-16 and 4-10. With the victories, King's clinched a Freedom Conference Tournament berth for a record 19th consecutive season.

In the opener, King's rode the arm of Samantha Bloom who tossed a four-hitter. Bloom allowed a sing;e to open the game and did not allow another hot until the fifth inning. By that time the Monarchs had a 4-0 lead after scoring once in the first inning and three more in the second.

Bloom scored the first run after recording a single and then touched home on a RBI single from Lexi Wolk. In the second inning Mackenzie Yori walked and Taylor Norris drew a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Brittany McNair advacned both runners, Ally DeVoir drove in a run on an infield out. Amber Saylor and Bloom then delivered back-to-back RBI singles to push the lead to 4-0.

The Aggies scored their lone run in the fifth inning.

Saylor was 2-for-2 with two runs scored in the opener while Bloom was 2-for-3 with a RBI. Yori was also 2-for-3 and scored once.

In the second game, Kristina Kocher threw a one-hitter, surrendering the lone base hit to the first batter of the game.

King's took a 2-0 first inning lead when Saylor singled and Wolk doubled. Megan Beapure then stroked a two-run double to bring home the first runs of the game. 

The Monarchs added a run in the fourth when McNair singled and later scored on a base hot from Saylor.  King's added its final run in the fifth inning when Yori singled, stole second base, and scored on a base hit from McNair.

McNair was 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI while Wolk was 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs. Saylor finished 2-for-4 and tallied one run and one RBI.

King's will host the Freedom Conference Tournament Friday and Saturday in the Betzler Complex.  King's, seeded fourth, faces top-seeded Manhattanville. Second-seeded DeSales will play third-seeded Misericordia in the other opening round matchup.