ITHACA, N.Y. Union College lost for the first time in 14 games with a tough 3-2 extra inning defeat at Ithaca College in the NCAA Division III Softball Regionals Friday afternoon.
The Dutchwomen, 30-5, will face Western New England (37-5) Saturday morning at 10 a.m. A win would keep Union alive in the double-elimination tournament, with another game Saturday at 4 p.m.
With the game tied at 2-2, Ithaca's Leigh Bonkowski hit a triple just inside the right field line. Kaitlyn Dulac singled up the middle to score Bonkowski. Union, the top seed in the regional, went down in order in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Carly Myers, who won for the second time on the day. She defeated WNEC in the tourney's first game.
Union pitcher Abby Arceneaux (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) fell to 14-3. She allowed eight hits and struck out seven in her first loss since April 13 and only her second defeat since March 20.
Bonkowski, who had three hits and scored all three runs for the Bombers, opened the scoring with a two-out home run to left center in the first inning. It was her ninth of the year. Ithaca took a 2-0 lead in the fourth, as Mel Chinigo had a two-out RBI single to score Bonkowski.
Union got on the board with an unearned run off starter Nicole Cade. With one out, Erika Eisenhut (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) reached on an error by the shortstop. She stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, then after a strikeout and an intentional walk, came home on a single by pinch hitter Karyn Rautenberg (Boston/Latin). Union tied it in the sixth. With two out, Beth Carcone (Utica/New Hartford) singled, and went to second on a single by Alicia Gifford (Schenectady/Guilderland). But Gifford's single to right was bobbled by the cutoff player, and Carcone continued on to score.
Union had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh. Arceneaux reached on an error by the shortstop, then after she was bunted to second and after another groundout, White hit a grounder to third that was scooped up in the dirt by first baseman Stacy Pelesz that saved the out and the game.
Carcone and Gifford had two hits each for the Dutchwomen, who were held to seven hits.
This was the third time Union had faced Ithaca in softball, and all three have been in the NCAA playoffs. This was Ithaca's second win in the series.
