SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" The players on the Western New England College softball team will never forget their performance at the 2006 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.
The top-seeded Golden Bears captured their fifth consecutive GNAC Tournament title after three exciting winning contests Sunday (April 30). Coach Lori Mayhew's team defeated fourth-seeded Pine Manor 4-2 in eight innings in the morning game and came back to beat third-seeded Suffolk by the scores of 7-4 and 4-2 to improve their record to 36-9, which is the second highest win total in school history.
Senior shortstop Kristy Kehoss (Cheshire, CT) was named the Tournament MVP after going 6-for-11 in the three contests and hitting .571 (12-for-21) in six tournament games. Kehoss made the All-Tournament Team along with senior Erin Whitcomb (North Walpole, NH), sophomore Meredith Pacelli (Hamden, CT), and freshman Laura Bower (Hudson, MA).
Game summaries
Western New England College 4, Pine Manor 2 â€" Senior pinch-hitter Erin Whitcomb (North Walpole, NH) had the game winning hit with a one-out single in the top of the eighth that brought home the two deciding runs. Senior shortstop Kristy Kehoss (Cheshire, CT) went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Freshman Laura Bower (Hudson, MA) allowed only one hit in three innings of relief to improve her record to 12-2. Pine Manor senior center fielder Amy Jordan (Taunton, MA) went 2-for-4 with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game at 2-2. Senior catcher Pam Pelletier (Beverly, MA) and junior shortstop Angelica Camacho (Orlando, FL) each had two hits for the Gators (25-20) who won three contests Saturday after losing in the first round on Thursday.
Western New England College 7, Suffolk 4 â€" Sophomore designated player Jackie Card (Greenfield, MA) led off the second inning with her sixth homer of the season for the first run of the game and sophomore third base player Meredith Pacelli (Hamden, CT) went 3-for-3 with a run and key three-run double with two outs in the third. She also made a couple of nice defensive plays. Kehoss added two hits while freshman center fielder Brenna Fitzgerald (Manchester, NH) added two-run single in the fifth for a pair of insurance runs. Freshman Amanda Poyant (Barnstable, MA) was the winner in relief while Bower gained her second save of the season. The Rams had 12 hits led by senior catcher Brenna Burr (Beaver, PA) who was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI. Senior center fielder Jill Grant (Duryea, PA) had two hits and two runs. Senior third base player Ashleigh Belanger (Billerica, MA) had two hits and a run while sophomore first base player/pitcher Natalie West (East Bridgewater, MA) also had two safeties.
Championship Game â€" Western New England College 4, Suffolk 2 â€" Whitcomb had two-run double with two outs in the first to highlight a three-run inning for the Golden Bears. Pacelli had a hit, walk, run, and sacrifice fly, and again sparkled defensively. Bower went the first five innings allowing only two hits with four strikeouts and only two walks. Sophomore Alex Paterson (Deep River, CT) pitched out of a jam with the tying run at the plate for her second save of the season. West had two hits for the Rams. Sophomore Jenn Elwell (Tewksbury, MA) pitched well allowing only five hits while striking out six and walking only one batter.
Sunday, April 30, 2006 â€" Springfield, Massachusetts
WNEC Softball Field
Game M â€" Western New England College 4, Pine Manor 2 (8 inn.)
Game N â€" Western New England College 7, Suffolk 4
Game O â€" Western New England College 4, Suffolk 2 (Championship game)
GNAC Tournament MVP - Kristy Kehoss (Western New England College)
All-Tournament Team - Laura Bower (Western New England College), Kristy Kehoss (Western New England College), Meredith Pacelli (Western New England College), Erin Whitcomb (Western New England College), Jenn Elwell (Suffolk), Jess Ferreira (Suffolk), Natalie West (Suffolk), Pam Pelletier (Pine Manor), Ashley Woodward (Pine Manor), Jodie Jordan (Emerson), Bri Papa (Emerson)
Saturday, April 29, 2006 â€" Springfield, Massachusetts
WNEC Softball Field
Game E â€" Western New England College 9, Norwich 0 (5 inn.)
Game H â€" Emerson 5, Emmanuel 3 (Emmanuel eliminated)
Game J â€" Emerson 9, Norwich 1 (5 inn.) (Norwich eliminated)
Game K â€" Suffolk 2, Western New England College 1 (8 inn.)
Greenleaf Field
Game F â€" Suffolk 5, Simmons 0
Game G â€" Pine Manor 9, Albertus Magnus 0 (5 inn.) (Albertus Magnus eliminated)
Game I â€" Pine Manor 3, Simmons 0 (Simmons eliminated)
Game L â€" Pine Manor 3, Emerson 0 (Emerson eliminated)
Thursday, April 27, 2006 â€" Campus Sites
Game A - Western New England College 9, Albertus Magnus 1 (5 inn.)
Game B - Norwich 4, Pine Manor 3
Game C - Simmons 11, Emerson 9 (8 inn.)
Game D - Suffolk 3, Emmanuel 0
Seeds: 1. Western New England College (23-1), 2. Emerson (22-2), 3. Suffolk (21-3), 4. Pine Manor (15-9), 5. Norwich (14-10), 6. Emmanuel (14-10), 7. Simmons (12-12), 8. Albertus Magnus (10-14). (Conference record in parenthesis.)
