Box Score
SALISBURY, MD – The Rowan University softball team won 6-5 over Emory University on the third day of the NCAA Regional Tournament. The regional is being held at Salisbury University.
Rowan (30-12), the second seed, will play the seventh seed Shenandoah University (32-16) on Sunday at 9 a.m. The game was previously scheduled for the last contest on Saturday but was moved on account of darkness. Shenandoah dropped to the loser’s bracket after a 4-0 loss to Salisbury University. The game was suspended on Friday after four innings due to darkness and completed on Saturday morning. The top seed Emory ends the season with a 41-4-1 record. Shenandoah defeated Kean University, 6-1 later in the day and Christopher Newport University (34-10) handed Salisbury (35-5) its first loss in the regional, 7-3.
Right-hander Jamie Minix (jr. Clarksboro, NJ/Kingsway Reg.) threw a complete game for the win against Emory. Minix (14-6) scattered 11 hits and allowed four earned runs. Lena Brottman (fr. Palatine, IL/Fremd) had the loss on the mound. Brottman (16-3) pitched 5.1 relief innings, giving up three runs on five hits.
Shortstop Ashley Minch (jr. Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Mem.) led the Profs with two hits (four at bats), a double, four RBIs and one run scored. Left fielder Casey Roselle (sr. Sparta, NJ/Sparta) was two for three with two runs scored. Second baseman Jenny Arcella (fr. Hillsdale, NJ/Pascack Valley) contributed with one hit and two RBIs. Center fielder Nicolina Veneziano (jr. Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) added one hit (three at bats) and two runs scored. Third baseman Julie Leskanic (jr. West Milford, NJ/West Milford) chipped in with two hits (three at bats), a double and one run scored. Designated player Ashlie Gaynor (jr. Berlin, NJ/Eastern Reg.) had one hit in one trip to the plate.
For the Eagles, second baseman Sophia Tarte (fr. Tampa, FL/Leon King) totaled two hits (four at bats), a double, a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. Designated player Ally Kersthold (fr. San Luis Obispo, CA/Mission College Prep) and third baseman Dana Goodenough (so. Wellington, FL/Suncoast) each had two hits, one double, in four at bats. Pinch hitter Zara Louy (sr. Santa Monica, CA/Harvard-Westlake) and center fielder Lauren Gorodetsky (fr. Palm City FL/Jensen Beach) each registered one hit and one RBI. Left fielder Jessica Thomas (jr. Springfield, VA/West Springfield) had one hit and one run scored. Shortstop Nicole Perez (sr. Miami, FL/Gulliver Prep) scored one run.
Rowan went up 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Roselle led off with a single up the middle and Veneziano followed with a hit. Minch drove in Roselle with a single down the left field line. Arcella knocked in Veneziano and Minch with a single. Emory got on the scoreboard with a solo home run by Tarte in the top of the fourth.
The Eagles tied the score at three with two runs in the sixth inning. Louy plated Tarte with a single to left field. Perez replaced Louy at first base. Gorodetsky singled home Perez with a hit down the right field line. In the bottom half, the Profs scored three runs for a 6-3 advantage. With one out, Leskanic had a double to right field and Roselle followed with a walk. Veneziano reached base on a fielder’s choice to second and Roselle was safe due to an error. Minch’s double to center field scored Leskanic, Roselle and Veneziano.
Emory had two more runs in the seventh inning. Thomas was hit by a pitch. Tarte had a RBI double that scored Thomas and later crossed the plate on an error.
The national softball tournament is double elimination. The regional winner advances to the national championship that is scheduled for Friday-Tuesday, May 20-24 at the Moyer Complex in Salem, VA. The results and schedule for the Salisbury regional are below.
Thursday, May 12
Game 1: #1 Emory University 6, #8 Kean University 1
Game 2: #5 Christopher Newport University 8, #4 VA Wesleyan College 6
Game 3: #3 Salisbury University 4, #6 Farmingdale State 0
Game 4: #7 Shenandoah University 4, #2 Rowan University 1
Friday, May 13
Game 5: #8 Kean University 13, #4 VA Wesleyan College 5 (VA Wesleyan is eliminated.)
Game 6: #2 Rowan University 4, #6 Farmingdale State 2 (Farmingdale State is eliminated.)
Game 7: #5 Christopher Newport University 7, #1 Emory University 3 (13 inn.)
Game 8: #3 Salisbury University vs. #7 Shenandoah University – game was suspended due to darkness after four innings.
Saturday, May 14
Game 8: #3 Salisbury University 4, #7 Shenandoah University 0
Game 9: #2 Rowan University 6, #1 Emory University 5 (Emory is eliminated.)
Game 10: #7 Shenandoah University 6, #8 Kean University 1 (Kean is eliminated.)
Game 11: #5 Christopher Newport University 7, #3 Salisbury University 3
Game 12: #7 Shenandoah University vs. #2 Rowan University – game moved to Sunday.
Sunday, May 15
Game 12: #7 Shenandoah University (32-16) vs. #2 Rowan University (30-12), 9 a.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. #3 Salisbury University (35-5), 11 a.m.
Game 14: #5 Christopher Newport University (33-10) vs. Game 13 winner, 1 p.m.
Monday, May 16
Game 15: Game 14 winner vs. Game 14 loser (if necessary), 10 a.m.
There are 60 teams that are competing in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament. There are two six team regional sites and six eight team regional sites. Forty-one conferences received automatic bids (Pool A) and two independents were selected for the championship from Pool B. The 17 remaining schools were selected on an at-large basis from the automatic qualifying conferences and the remaining independent institutions.
