CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – It was a bitter-sweet Saturday for the East Stroudsburg University softball team, who earned its first-ever NCAA Softball Championship win with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Nova Southeastern, before falling to top-seed UT Tyler in an elimination game to close its first-ever appearance at the highest level of the sport by a score of 6-2.
The Warriors' (44-19) historic season comes to a close, finishing as one of just six teams remaining of 272 squads in NCAA Division II after being selected sixth. The Patriots (61-5) remain alive in the elimination bracket and look to defeat North Georgia in two potential games tomorrow.
ESU was led in the circle with a pair of impressive appearances by junior pitcher
Paige Zigmund. She became the first Warrior pitcher to win an NCAA Softball Championship game, firing off a three-hit, one earned run performance against Nova Southeastern. Against the top-seed in the country, Zigmund allowed seven hits in five innings, conceding just one earned run.
Notables
- Zigmund was phenomenal in the circle, conceding one run on three hits, retiring 15 consecutive batters to keep the Warriors in it during the first contest against Nova Southeastern. She finished the day with a 1.17 ERA in 12 innings of work, allowing just 10 hits and two earned runs, holding a pair of elite teams to a .200 batting average. In seven NCAA Tournament appearances this season, the Bethlehem native has posted a 0.93 ERA in 45 innings of work, allowing just six earned runs, while striking out 26 batters with a 5-1 record. She held opponents to a .189 batting average, walking just four.
- Zigmund closes her NFCA and D2CCA All-Region campaign with a program record 26 wins, logging a 1.96 ERA. She struck out a program record 186 batters, holding foes to a .223 batting average.
- Kaitlin Houser came up with another clutch hit, with the catcher registering the game-tying RBI single against the Sharks. She led the Warriors with two RBIs on the final day of the season.
- Kate Donaghue tallied three hits on the day, tallying the go-ahead RBI against NSU.
- Denva Shaw-Tait posted three hits on the day, driving in a run with a .600 batting average.
- UT Tyler held the Warriors to three hits, with two coming in the final inning. The Warriors never gave up, posting a pair of runs against the top-seed in the nation in hopes of a comeback attempt.
- The Warriors set numerous records during the illustrious season, including wins (44), hits in a season, RBIs in a season, doubles in a season, wins in a season, strikeouts in a season.
- Reilly Vicendese led ESU in the NCAA Tournament with eight hits in nine contests, tallying a batting average of .296 in nine contests.
- Leigh Ann Jenkins recorded an ERA of 1.40 in three NCAA Tournament games, allowing just three earned runs in 15 innings, striking out 11 batters.
How It Happened: ESU 2, NSU 1
- NSU struck for a run in the bottom of the 1st. With two outs, a double followed by an RBI single by Madison Fine lifted the Sharks to an early lead. Zigmund forced a strikeout for the final out to avoid further damage.
- Shaw-Tait tallied a two-out double, as ESU looked to knot the score in top of the 2nd. A ground out to the shortstop ended the scoring opportunity.
- The Warriors put its first two batters in the top of the 3rd on base, with a Donaghue single and a Lexi Wright but could not advance a runner to third after a popout and a pair of fielder's choices.
- Zigmund retired 15 consecutive batters, following the go-ahead RBI double,
- After posting a hit in every single inning, the Warriors were finally able to put up runs and take the lead for good in the top of the 6th. After Vicendese had a groundout was overturned with video review, as head coach Jaime Wohlbach challenged a play, ESU gained momentum. After a fielder's choice and a flyout. A clutch steal by pinch-runner Gianna Coyle put a Warrior in scoring position. A Shaw-Tait walk setup Houser with another clutch RBI at the world series, tying the contest at 1-1. Donaghue immediately followed with another single, as Shaw-Tait came around to score, while Houser was gunned down at the plate for the third out.
- A hit-by-pitch with one out ended the 15 batters set down in order streak, but Zigmund bounced back with a flyout and a ground out to end the inning with the lead.
- Nies recorded a two-out single in the 7th, but was unable to advance, as the Warriors took a one-run lead into the 7th.
- A bunt single with one-out put a Shark on the basepaths – the first hit allowed since the first inning by ESU – but Zigmund forced a flyout and a popout to herself for the final out, lifting ESU to its first-ever win in the NCAA Softball Championships.
How It Happened: UT Tyler 6, ESU 2
- After a quick trip to Publix for a bite to eat, the Warriors returned to the stadium to prepare for the Patriots.
- Leigh Ann Jenkins got out of a jam to start the contest. After a leadoff single, the Patriots smacked a one-out single to put two runners on base. Jenkins forced back-to-back popouts to exit the circle unscathed.
- Reilly Vicendese smacked a one-out single in ESU's first two at bats, but could not come around to score. UT Tyler was able to post the first run in the top of the second. After two singles to leadoff the frame, a flyout and a strikeout accounted for the first two outs. This time, Jenkins could not avoid a run being scored, with a single up the middle tallying the first run. The graduate student forced a ground out to third base, to limit the damage on the scoreboard.
- Zigmund entered the circle in the top of the third and picked up right where she left off, allowing just one-hit in her first inning of game two.
- The Patriots took control of the game in the top of the 5th, totaling four runs on three hits and took advantage of a pair of Warrior errors in the inning, taking a 5-0 edge.
- After tacking on an insurance run in the sixth, the Warriors went to work with the bats in the bottom of the 7th in hopes of an epic comeback.
Summary
- ESU closes its historic season with a 44-19 record, earning its fourth NCAA Tournament bid, its first-ever NCAA Atlantic Region Championship, along with its first appearance and win at the NCAA Softball Championships.
