CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A trio of America East softball standouts have earned weekly awards after strong performances last week. Stony Brook's Taylor Chain (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester) earned Player of the Week honors, while Albany's Brittany MacFawn (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek) picked up Pitcher of the Week accolades and UMBC's Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) received Rookie of the Week recognition. The awards for the week ending April 10 were announced Monday afternoon.
Chain, sophomore designated player, hit .571 (8-for-14) and slugged .857 with four doubles and seven RBI in leading Stony Brook to three wins in five games last week. She also walked twice and compiled a .588 on-base percentage. Chain had three multiple hit games on the week, including a 2-for-3 performance with two RBI and a run scored in Sunday’s deciding game vs. Maine, which the Seawolves took, 9-5.
MacFawn, a freshman hurler, earned her second Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after going 2-1 with a save while firing a no-hitter and a perfect game. She gave up just eight hits and four runs in 18 innings pitched (1.53 ERA) and struck out 24 hitters against only three walks. MacFawn’s no-hitter came in an 8-0 win over Colgate Wednesday while the perfect game came in an 8-0 victory over Binghamton Saturday.
Warner batted .615 (8-for-13) and slugged 1.077 in four games last week. The freshman shortstop belted three doubles and a homer while knocking in four runs. Warner went 6-for-10 in UMBC’s league set with Boston University over the weekend, including a 3-for-3 performance in the Retrievers’ lone win of the series.
Team Notes
Albany (12-18, 5-1 AE) went 3-2 on the week, splitting a non-conference doubleheader with Colgate on Wednesday before visiting Binghamton over the weekend ... The Great Danes swept the league doubleheader on Saturday before falling to the Bearcats in the finale on Sunday ... Andrianna Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y./Pine Bush) led the Great Danes, hitting .417 on the week, with five hits, including two triples and two home runs ... The senior shortstop scored five runs and drove in four more, recording a 1.250 slugging percentage ... Freshman pitcher Brittany MacFawn (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek) went 2-1 on the week in the circle with one save... MacFawn tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Colgate on Wednesday and recorded a five-inning perfect game against Binghamton on Saturday ... She struck out 24 opposing batters in four appearances, including nine versus Colgate ... The Great Danes will return to action with non-conference doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday at home, before visiting Maine for a league series over the weekend.
Binghamton (13-11, 4-2 AE) remained over .500 in both conference and overall play ... sophomore outfielder Jessica Phillips (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) continues to lead the America East in batting (.500), home runs (10) and RBI (34). She went 6-for-12 this past week with a home run. She also drew four walks to record an on-base percentage of .625 for the week ... Senior first baseman Stephanie DeLuca (Yonkers, N.Y./Ursuline) homered twice this past week, hitting her first career grand slam in the process against Siena on April 6). DeLuca now ranks second on the squad with a career-high .328 batting average. In addition, she has recorded five multiple-hit performances in the Bearcats’ last 10 games ... as a team, Binghamton has now hit four grand slams this season. Phillips had two vs. Hartford on March 26 and one vs. Niagara on April 3 and junior outfielder Meghan Tucker (Kirkwood, N.Y./Windsor) had the other one against St. John’s on March 19. Prior to this season, it had been four years since any Binghamton player hit a grand slam ... freshman outfielder Anna Blessing (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) homered and doubled in the Bearcats’ 4-3 win over Albany on Sunday. In the process, she recorded her fourth multiple-hit game of the season and raised her batting average to .308.
Boston University (20-12, 6-3 AE) took a crucial season series from UMBC in thrilling fashion this past weekend ... After splitting the Saturday doubleheader with an 8-2 win and a 5-1 loss, the Terriers claimed the rubber match with a two-run walk-off home run by redshirt freshman Chelsea Kehr (Florence, N.J./Florence) in the bottom of the eighth with one out ... Earlier in the week, BU dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to in-state rival Massachusetts ... Senior April Setterlund (Torrance, Calif./South Torrance), who was 5-for-11 with an RBI, broke the career runs record on Saturday and drew to within two RBIs of the career record for that category ... The slugger also went 5-for-5 in stolen bases and had a .600 on-base percentage ... Freshman hurler Holli Floetker (Fountain Valley, Calif./Ocean View) improved to 9-3 overall and remained undefeated in conference action with a pair of league wins against UMBC ... She struck out 11 batters, including a season-high eight on Saturday ... BU will have a busy week as it has six games in the five days ... It will host Bryant on Wednesday (April 13) at 4 p.m. before heading down to Rhode Island on Thursday (April 14) and Friday (April 15) to take on Providence and URI, respectively ... On Sunday (April 17) the Terriers will welcome Fairfield in a doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m.
Hartford (3-23, 0-6 AE) was winless in five non-conference games this week with all five defeats coming against Nutmeg State opponents ... Hartford dropped a doubleheader at Central Connecticut State on Thursday by 8-0 (6 inn.) and 2-1 finals before falling to the Connecticut Huskies, 8-5, at home on Saturday ... The Hawks then traveled to Fairfield on Sunday but fell in each game by scores of 7-2 and 8-0 (5 inn.) ... Sophomore utility player Kate Wacyk (Sellersville, Pa./Pennridge) led the Hawks with six hits in 13 at-bats while scoring five of the team's eight runs on the week ... Four of her hits went for extra bases including two doubles, one triple and a home run ... Wacyk boasted a .462 average at the plate coupled with a 1.000 slugging percentage ... The Hawks look to rebound from a 13-game losing streak this week when they travel to Marist on Thursday, April 14 (2:30 p.m.) before returning home to resume conference action against Stony Brook this weekend.
Maine (15-22, 6-3 AE) took one out of three from Stony Brook in Maine’s home opening weekend at Mike Kessock Field in Orono ... The Black Bears busted out 10 hits in the 13-5 victory, including pushing nine runs across in the bottom of the fifth ... Jennifer Eberhardt (Glendale, Ariz.) jump started Maine’s offense out of the leadoff hole all weekend long as the junior transfer went 5-for-8 for a .625 average while scoring five runs and driving in two of her own ... Eberhardt also drew five walks helping her to a .769 on-base percentage for the weekend ... Senior captain Terren Hall (Bucksport, Maine) is Maine’s all-time leading home run hitter as she has belted 33 career home runs. The previous record was held by Maine Hall of Famer Sara Jewett who hit 31 home runs in her career spanning from 1997-00 ... Senior Kali Burnham (Courtice, Ontario) hit .333 over the weekend and has now moved her average to .346 on the year, good for seventh in the conference while her 37 hits are good for third amongst conference leaders ... The Black Bears will host neighboring Husson University on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before continuing conference play with a three game series at Mike Kessock field against Albany beginning with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a single game at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning.
UMBC (19-14, 4-5 AE) went 2-2 last week… The Retrievers opened the week with a 6-3 non-conference victory over cross-town rival Towson… Junior catcher Angela Yannone (Pasadena, Md./Archbishop Spalding) drove in three runs and finished a triple short of the cycle… Sophomore right fielder Ashley Scroggin (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) also homered against the Tigers, her team-best ninth of the season … The Retrievers dropped two of three at two-time defending America East champion Boston University over the weekend… The Terriers took the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, 8-2 … Freshman shortstop Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) drove in both of UMBC’s runs with a two-run homer, her fourth of the season … The Retrievers won the nightcap, 5-1… Warner went 3-for-3 with two doubles in the game, while junior first baseman Katie Ferguson (North East, Md./North East/Cecil CC) hit a home run… Senior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) allowed just one unearned run on six hits and one walk and struck out five in the complete-game victory… UMBC dropped the rubber match, 5-3, on a walk-off home run in the eighth inning… Ferguson hit her fifth homer of the season and second in as many games… Six Retrievers are batting better than .300 this season, led by senior left fielder Julia Culotta’s (Street, Md./North Harford/Tennessee) .413 average… She is tied for ninth all-time at UMBC with 18 career home runs, while senior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) ranks fifth with 43 doubles… UMBC visits in-state rival Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday in non-league action before hosting America East rival Binghamton for a three-game weekend series.
Stony Brook (12-18, 2-7 AE) posted a 3-2 record last week with a split against Manhattan on Thursday and two wins in Maine over the weekend...the Seawolves opened the week with a 5-3 victory over the Jaspers as senior pitcher Colleen Matthes (Severn, Md.) tossed a complete-game, one-hitter, despite walking 12 batters...Manhattan won the second game, 6-4...Stony Brook then went on to win the first and third games of the weekend series against Maine by scores of 4-2 and 9-5, losing the middle game by a 13-5 count...sophomore Taylor Chain (Gloucester, N.J.) batted .571 (8-for-14) with four doubles, seven RBI, an .857 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage in five games last week...Chain posted a 4-for-6 day at the plate on Thursday with four RBI as the Seawolves earned a split vs. Manhattan...Chain recorded an RBI double in the third inning against Manhattan in game one to put the Seawolves ahead 3-0...in the second game against Manhattan, Chain ripped a double to left, scoring two runs in the first inning...Chain then doubled in another run in her next at-bat in the third inning of game two...Chain also pitched 4.1 innings of relief in game two against Manhattan, surrendering only one earned run, while striking out three...in the second game against Maine, Chain went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run...the sophomore singled in a run in the top of the first and scored later in the inning...in the third game against Maine, Chain went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run...Chain opened the game with an RBI double in the first inning and followed with an RBI single in the fourth...Matthes made four starts last week and posted a 3-1 record (responsible for all three Stony Brook wins) with a 1.96 ERA, while striking out 23 batters...Matthes earned the win in the series opener against Maine with a complete-game, three-hitter, striking out six...in game three against Maine, Matthes again tossed a complete game, recording nine strikeouts...of the 16 runs charged to Matthes last week, only seven were earned...batters hit .179 in 95 at-bats against the senior last week...Matthes allowed only three extra-base hits (all doubles) in 25 innings last week...junior Bernadette Tenuto (Audubon, N.J.) hit .500 (9-for-18) last week with one home run, four doubles and five RBI, while junior Lauren Maloney (Las Vegas, Nev.) went 8-for-17 (.471) with four RBI and three doubles...freshman Elise Fortier (Coventry, R.I.) went 5-for-15 (.333) with four RBI...Stony Brook will play six games this week, starting Wednesday with a home doubleheader against Fordham at 2 p.m....Stony Brook will then meet Long Island on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Brooklyn, before hitting the road to play Hartford this weekend.