VESTAL, N.Y. -- The 2013 America East Softball Championship, a three-day, double-elimination tournament, to decide the conference champion, begins Thursday at Bearcats Sports Complex.
On Thursday, top-seeded Albany will face fourth-seeded Stony Brook at 1 p.m. and second-seeded Binghamton will take on third-seeded Hartford. Following Thursday's doubleheader, three games will be played Friday, while the championship game (games if necessary) will take place Saturday. The league champion will receive an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Softball Championship, where America East teams have combined to win six games since 2007.
Albany (35-15, 15-2 AE), whose 35 regular-season wins are its second-most in program history, won two out of three at Binghamton this weekend to claim its second regular-season crown in three years. The Great Danes scored twice in the top of the sixth Sunday to beat Binghamton, 2-1, for the series win. Albany, which sports a league-best 2.33 team ERA, will seek their sixth America East title this weekend. The Great Danes will ride America East Pitcher of the Year Brittany MacFawn, who leads the league in wins (25), ERA (1.59) and strikeouts (266).
Binghamton (29-15, 14-4 AE) will aim for its first-ever league title in the midst of its best season in program history. The Bearcats, whose No. 2 seed is their best-ever, set program records for overall victories and conference wins this season behind an offense that leads the league in average (.296), on-base percentage (.384) and slugging (.475). The Bearcats had four first-team all-leaguers, including America East Rookie of the Year Lisa Cadogan.
Hartford (21-32, 10-8 AE) is in the championship for the first time since 2007. The Hawks won two out of three at Maine this weekend, capped by a 2-1, 11 inning win Sunday, which earned them the No. 3 seed. Hartford earned the tiebreaker over Stony Brook based on winning the season series over the Seawolves. Zuzana Kudernatchova made a big impact in her first season in Hartford, earning second-team all-league pitcher accolades.
Stony Brook (31-22, 10-8) is in the tournament field for fifth time in six years. Seeking its first league crown since 2008, the Seawolves will enter the tournament on a six-game win streak after sweeping Boston U. last weekend. Second-team all-conference outfielders Shayla Giosia and Bria Green pace the SBU lineup.
Every game of the 2013 America East Championship will be streamed for free. Visit Championship Central for all the links and updates throughout the tournament.
2013 America East Softball Championship
At Binghamton University
Thursday, May 9
Game 1: No. 1 Albany vs. No. 4 Stony Brook, 1 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Binghamton vs. No. 3 Hartford, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, May 10
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 1:30 p.m. (elimination game)
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner, 4 p.m. (elimination game)
Saturday, May 11
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 12 p.m. (championship game)
Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 2:30 p.m. (if necessary)