Tournament Page, Box Scores and All Tournament Team with MVPs
SCHENECTADY, NY – Nina Cervini's three-run, walk-off home run to left field in the seventh inning gave Union College a 6-5 win over crosstown rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the first ever Liberty League Tournament Championship on a chilly Sunday afternoon at Alexander Park.
Union improves to 29-8 on the year while Rensselaer falls to 19-18-1. Tiffany Ippoliti was credited with the win and improves to 15-3 on the year while Jen Bach, who pitched earlier in the day in RPI's 5-4 win over Skidmore, suffered the loss and falls to 9-9. Ippoliti allowed nine hits and struck out three and Bach gave up 11 hits while posting one strikeout.
Cervini went 2 for 3 with four RBI and a walk. Lauren Hoffman went 4 for 4 at the plate and circled the bases twice.
Bach was 2 for 4 at the plate with a home run, two RBI and also scored a run. Genevieve Falco also went 2-for-4 and knocked in one run.
Ippoliti and Cervini were named Co-Most Valuable Players of the tournament, while Hoffman and Ashley Kovack joined the two MVPs on the All-Tournament Team. RPI was represented by Bach, Sara Heller and Sheena McNeil.
Trailing 3-1 in the top of the seventh, Sarah Paulding singled and Alysa Rochminski doubled to right center, sending Paulding to third. Becky Bailey grounded out to third but Paulding scored to cut the lead to 3-2. Caitlin McGivern laid down a bunt that produced a single and the tying RBI as Rochminski scored just before the tag. After the second out, Bach homered to right center for a 5-3 RPI lead. It was her 12th of the year and third of the day, including two in the win over Skidmore that propelled the Engineers into the championship round
Hoffman and Callee Heywood sparked the Dutchwomen with back to back singles to start the bottom of the seventh. After one out, Cervini hit the game winning homer over the left field fence for her fourth homer of the year and the 6-5 Union victory.
RPI led 1-0 after the first, featuring an RBI single by Genevieve Falco. Union took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame with a sacrifice fly by Allie Sirrine and an RBI double by Hannah Fandl.
Both teams got on the board in the first inning. Falco's single to left field allowed McGivern to reach home safely. Allie Sirrine's sacrifice fly to left field tied the game at one and Hannah Fandl's double to left field scored Ashley Kovack home from second. Union added insurace on an RBI single by Cervini in the fifth.
Union will await word on a possible post-season bid Monday. Check UnionAthletics.com for immediate updates.
GAME 5
RPI 5, SKIDMORE 4
SCHENECTADY, NY – Sara Heller singled off the left field fence to drive in the game-winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh as Rensselaer eliminated Skidmore from the 2010 Liberty League Softball Tournament with a 5-4 victory on Sunday morning at Union's Alexander Field.
The Thoroughbreds fall to 23-14 overall. Later in the day Skidmore's Carol Brown and Julia Schwartz were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
RPI got out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when Jen Bach hit a drove her 10th home run of the season over the fence in left center field to make a 2-0 game.
Skidmore got within one in the top of the second as Carol Brown scored Christina Gargiso on a single with the bases loaded and Julia Schwartz tied it up in the third on her eight home run of the year.
The Engineers took the lead right back in the bottom half of the third on Bach's second two-run homer of the game.
The Thoroughbreds made it 4-3 in the top of the fourth on Schwartz's RBI single that drove in Tara DeGeorge. They were able to tie it up in the sixth when DeGeorge blasted her first career home run to right center.
Gillian McCarthy and Bach led off the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles before Heller drove in Bach with one out to score the game-winner.
Abby Furhman suffered the loss, allowing one run on five hits in 2.1 innings of relief. Sam Crose got the start for Skidmore and gave up four runs on six hits in 4.0 innings. Bach picked up the win in relief; she gave up just the DeGeorge homer in 3.1 innings. Bua allowed three runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings, getting the start for the Engineers.
Brown, DeGeorge, Schwartz and Cora Crafts each had two hits for the Thoroughbreds. Bach finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI, while McCarthy also had three hits.
