Stony Brook Softball Falls in NCAAs, Season Comes to Close

Stony Brook Softball Falls in NCAAs, Season Comes to Close

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Courtesy of Stony Brook Athletic Communications

Tempe, Ariz. - Stony Brook's softball team ended its 2008 season with a 8-3 loss to Mississippi State in the NCAA Regional Saturday at Farrington Stadium. The Seawolves finish the season with a record of 33-23-1.

Just like yesterday's game, senior Ashley Westphal (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led off the first inning for the Seawolves by drawing a walk. Sophomore Vicki KavitskyJade Clare (Federal Way, Wash.) singled down the rightfield line to score Stony Brook's first run of the regional and give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead. (Cherry Hill, N.J.) followed that up with a first-pitch single to left, putting runners on first and second. Two batters later, sophomore

The Bulldogs rallied in the third, with back-to-back singles by Courtney Nesbit and Brittany Bell. A sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third for Mississippi State with two outs, but sophomore Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) induced a pop-up to third base to end the threat and maintain the one-run lead.

MSU's bats came alive in the fifth, scoring six runs on seven hits, highlighted by a two-RBI single by Sammie Jo Bailey. Sophomore Casey Jacobs (Davie, Fla.) replaced Struzenberg in the circle, recording the final out of the inning.

The Bulldogs changed pitchers in the sixth inning, replacing their starter, Misty Flesher, with Kelsey Nurnberg. Junior Marissa Fleury (Mahopac, N.Y.) drew a leadoff walk and pinch-runner sophomore Katelyn O'Donnell (Kingston, Mass.) advanced to second on an infield single by junior Molly Kestranek (St. Mary's, Ga.). Jacobs then helped her own cause, singling back up the middle, scoring O'Donnell, cutting the Bulldogs lead to four and forcing MSU to re-enter Flesher. Junior Kelly Oberto
(Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) drew a walk to load the bases and one out later Westphal delivered a single through the left side to score the Seawolves' second run of the inning.




MSU tacked on a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to make the final score, 8-3. Stony Brook's 33 wins are a new single-season school record, while Struzenberg finished her record-breaking season with 24 wins.