GRANTHAM, Pa. (May 8, 2016) – After winning two straight postseason contests, the Widener University softball team concluded a record-breaking season with a 10-0 loss in five innings to #11-ranked Messiah in the championship game of the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament on Sunday afternoon. The Pride opened the day with a 3-2 comeback victory over Hood and set a single-season school record for victories before coming up short in the title game.
Hood (20-17) plated two runs in the top of the third to begin the scoring in the elimination contest early in the day. The Blazers got two runners in scoring position thanks to a single to third, a bunt single and a sacrifice before Kristy Erfurdt unleashed a double to the power alley in left. Reliever
Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.), however, got out of the jam by catching Ashley Fourcade looking at strike three.
Like they have done so many times throughout the season, the Pride started to rally in the bottom half of the third. Freshman
Olivia Rogers (West Chester, Pa.) reached base on an error with two outs and came home when Horvath slapped a triple that reached the warning track in right center to slice the lead in half. Sophomore
Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.) then ripped the ball towards third on the next play, but Hood's Fourcade came up with a big catch to rob the Pride of a hit and another run.
The rally continued into the fourth inning, as senior
Alie Alkins (Aston, Pa.) beat out a grounder and then stole second to move into scoring position. Sophomore
Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.) then hit the ball over the outstretched glove of the Hood shortstop to tie the game and came home on a wild pitch for the go-ahead run.
Horvath and the defense then took over the rest of the way. Although Hood was able to get one runner on base in the top of the seventh, senior catcher
Taylor Church (Glen Mills, Pa.) made a basket catch in foul territory to record the final out and send the Pride to the championship clash.
Widener's Horvath picked up the victory by throwing 4.2 scoreless frames of relief and improved her ledger to 7-4. She allowed just three hits and fanned two while not issuing a walk. Kayli Paugh took the loss for Hood and ended the season with a 9-5 record. She surrendered three hits and three runs, including one earned, and went the distance for the Blazers in the circle.
In the championship game, 11th-ranked and top-seeded Messiah plated one run in each of the first two frames to move ahead. Pitcher Courtney Allen helped herself out by hitting an RBI single up the middle before Erin Cressmen doubled the lead with a two-bagger to deep left that scored Amanda Jones and made it 2-0.
Widener (31-11) had plenty of opportunities to push runs across against the conference pitcher of the year by placing runners at first and second with one out in both the second and third frames. Allen, however, got out of trouble on both occasions by fanning two in the second and inducing two groundouts to get out of the third.
With Allen still controlling the circle, Messiah (39-3) added to its lead by scoring eight runs in the fourth frame to pull away. Becky Notte hit a two-run single to cap the scoring and seal the final outcome.
Messiah's Allen earned the win in the circle and kept her perfect record this season intact at 22-0. She gave up five hits and struck out five while not issuing a walk.
Katie Rabuck (Hegins, Pa.) of Widener was charged with the loss and ended the season with an 8-2 record. She yielded three hits and two runs in the opening frame.
Widener completed its best season in school history and established a new school record for most victories in a season by winning 31 games, breaking the previous mark of 30 victories set in 2008. The graduating senior class consisting of
Alie Alkins (Aston, Pa.),
Taylor Church (Glen Mills, Pa.) and
Heather Forward (Philadelphia, Pa.) also helped the program improve its win total every year, win 95 games over the past four seasons and make three straight appearances in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
