VESTAL, N.Y. – Albany and Stony Brook advanced to the 2013 America East Championship game as the Great Danes got another strong performance from ace Brittany MacFawn and the Seawolves posted a pair of impressive wins on Friday at the Bearcat Softball Complex. Allison Cukrov was huge for the Seawolves in both games, picking up the save against Hartford in their first game and tossing a complete-game gem in the nightcap. Charlise Castro had the big blow in Albany’s win over Binghamton, blasting a two-run home run that put her team up for good.
Albany and Stony Brook will face off in the championship game tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. The Great Danes are 2-0 in tournament play thus far, meaning the Seawolves will need to win two games tomorrow to advance to the NCAA championship. That second game, if necessary, is slated for 2:30 p.m. Albany will be playing in its third consecutive America East Championship, while Stony Brook is making its second appearance in three years.
The game(s) will be streamed live for free in HD at AmericaEast.com. WATCH HERE
Albany 4, Binghamton 2
Brittany MacFawn threw her second straight complete game as Albany beat Binghamton 4-2 in the first game of the day. The junior fanned four while walking just one in her seven innings and now boasts a 10:1 strikeout to walk ratio in the tournament. MacFawn also improved her record to 28-7 and set a new America East record for victories in a season. Castro’s two RBI led the Great Danes while Annie Johnson added two hits, an RBI and two steals.
The big blow came in the bottom of the third inning. With the score knotted at 2-2, Johnson got things going with an infield single. The All-Rookie Team member then stole second and third, setting the stage for Castro, who blasted a towering home run over the scoreboard in left field. That gave the Great Danes a 4-2 lead that they would not relinquish.
Binghamton scored in its first trip to the plate, grinding out numerous tough at-bats against MacFawn in the frame. With two outs, freshman Sydney Harbaugh singled and stole second and was knocked home with an RBI single from Lisa Cadogan.
The Great Danes wasted no time answering, however, using a double by Vicky McFarland and a single from Johnson to tie the score at one. In the bottom of the second, Albany went ahead 2-1 on a solo shot from Kylie Apostolina.
A solo blast from Tiffany McIntosh for the Bearcats made it 2-2, but the Bearcats would not score again as MacFawn settled in. Rhoda Marsteller was stellar in relief, tossing three and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief while allowing just one hit.
Stony Brook 6, Hartford 3
A five-run fourth inning was the key for Stony Brook, as it eliminated Hartford and earned the right to play Binghamton in another elimination game later in the day. Shayla Giosia’s two-run blast was the exclamation point, while Bria Green also contributed two hits, an RBI and a stolen base in the win. Starting pitcher Christine Lucido earned the win while going six innings and allowing three runs (two earned).
Stony Brook’s big rally started with a leadoff walk to Kelli Reynolds, who then advanced to third on a wild pitch and a subsequent throwing error by the catcher. Gina Bianculli singled Reynolds home and later came around to score on a perfect squeeze bunt from Alexandra Pisciotta. After Olivia Mintun singled home another run, Giosia put the game out of reach for good with her two-run home run.
The Seawolves took a 1-0 early in the game, thanks to an RBI single from Green. Giosia, who had advanced to second earlier in the inning after Jessica Combs was caught in a rundown, came around to score.
The score remained 1-0 until the third, when Hartford got singles from Amber Andrews and Kate Wacyk to start a rally. Chelsey Mooney’s RBI groundout then knotted the score at one. The Hawks would put up a fight in the sixth inning, as pinch hitter Jordan Haines singled through the middle to knock in two runs and make the score 6-3, but it was not enough.
Cukrov nailed down the save, her fifth of the year, with a perfect seventh inning.
Stony Brook 9, Binghamton 0
The Seawolves came out hot in their second elimination game of the day, throwing up a five-spot in the first inning and never looking back. Cukrov was brilliant, tossing a one-hitter and taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning. Bianculli had a bases-clearing triple in that five-run first inning, racking up her fourth RBI of the day.
After Combs walked to leadoff the game, it looked like Stony Brook would go down quietly in the first inning as it recorded two outs without scoring a run. But Nicole Hagerty’s walk would load the bases and set the stage for what would turn out to be the game-winning rally. Reynolds singled home the first run of the game and the bases were still loaded for Bianculli, who unleashed a line drive down the left field line that cleared the bases and made the score 4-0. The Seawolves would tack on another run in the frame as well to make it 5-0, scoring on an error by the third basemen.
The score would remain 5-0 until the fourth inning, as Mintun followed singles by Bianculli and Combs with a three-run blast to make it 8-0. Later in the inning, Giosia scored on an error by the shortstop to make it 9-0.
Cukrov finished the game with two strikeouts and just one walk, improving her record to 13-14 on the year. The sophomore yielded Binghamton’s lone hit in the fourth inning, as Jessica Phillips dunked one in to centerfield.