Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Edgewood College softball team's goal seemed simple enough on Sunday, win both games at Rockford College and make the conference tournament. However, the Regents had different thoughts as they took game one from the Eagles 11-3. Edgewood College bounced back to take game two 8-2, but it was not enough as the Eagles lost a tiebreaker, and for the second consecutive year the Eagles fell just short of the conference tournament.
Jessica Spitzer got the Eagles on the board in the first inning of game one when she laced a two-out single and came around to score on an error by the left fielder to give Edgewood College (15-21, 12-12 NAC) the early lead.
In the Rockford (8-26, 7-17 NAC) half of the second inning, Nicole Lawler sparked a two-out rally when she tripled down the left field line. She scored when the next batter, Biz Janusick, singled to right field to tie the game.
Edgewood College had an opportunity to score in the third inning as Kristen Salvatore singled to start the frame and advanced to second on a throwing error. Kayla Rackow then sacrificed her to third, but Aletha Cunningham, the Regents pitcher, retired the next two batters to end the threat.
Rockford used that momentum in the bottom half of the inning as they exploded for four runs. The Regents got four run scoring singles in the frame to take a 5-1 lead.
Edgewood College answered in the fourth as they cut the deficit in half. Spitzer singled to lead off the inning, and then after an out she scored on a Pam Sommer triple. Sommer later scored when Monica Humphrey smashed a double to left center field to make the deficit 5-3.
After back-to-back one-out singles in the bottom of the fourth, Cunningham ripped a two-run double down the left field line to push the Regent lead back to four runs. The Regents then ended the game when they scored four more runs in the sixth inning. Janusick had the game ending hit when she hit a single up the middle to give the Regents the 11-3 victory in six innings, due to the eight-run mercy rule.
Spitzer was the only Eagle to record more than one hit as she went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the contest. Claire Blake started the game in the circle for Edgewood College and lasted three innings before being relieved by Brittany Andrews.
In game two, the Eagles once again were the first team to score as they put up two runs in the first inning. Emily Monson singled to start the game and was sacrificed to second by Karmen Dorshorst. Colleen Joyce then drove in Monson with a single through the left side. Joyce later scored on another Sommer triple to give the Eagles the 2-0 advantage.
The Regents threaten to come back in the bottom of the first, but Blake stranded two runners, including a leadoff double to keep the two run lead intact.
Edgewood College extended their lead in the second inning with three two-out runs. Dorshorst, Spitzer and Joyce all recorded run scoring singles in the frame as Edgewood College took a 5-0 lead after two innings.
The Regents tallied single runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings, but the Eagles responded with runs in the sixth inning. In the frame, Spitzer and Joyce again recorded back-to-back run scoring singles to push the lead to five runs.
In the seventh inning, Rachel Elliott, who was playing her last game as an Eagle, led off with a double down the left field line. After being sacrificed to second, Elliott scored when Salvatore ripped a single to right field that gave the Eagles an 8-2 lead. Andrews came in and closed the door in the bottom of the inning to give Edgewood College the win.
In the final game of their careers, seniors Joyce and Salvatore went a combined 6-for-8 at the plate and scored two runs while driving in four more. Joyce went 3-for-4 at the dish, drove in three runs and scored another while Salvatore also went 3-for-4, scored one run and drove in another. Elliott went 1-for-4 with one run scored in the final game of her career at Edgewood College.
Blake threw six innings for the Eagles, and allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out two while earning her 11th win of the season. Andrews threw the final inning and allowed only one hit that was erased as the runner tried to stretch a double into a triple.
Edgewood College finished in a tie for sixth place with Marian University in the Northern Athletics Conference after the Sabres swept Alverno College on Sunday. However, since Marian split with Dominican University and the Eagles were swept by the Stars, Marian won the tiebreaker and will be the sixth seed in the NAC Tournament next weekend.
