STONY BROOK, N.Y. – One out from elimination, Albany rallied for a win in game six and cruised to victory in game seven of the 2014 America East Softball Championship against Stony Brook en route to capturing the conference title Sunday at Stony Brook’s University Field.
Elizabeth Snow’s three-run home run in the 10th inning gave the Great Danes (33-11) a 3-2 win in the first game of the day and they got timely hitting in the nightcap en route to an 8-1 win over the Seawolves (34-18) and the league crown.
The Great Danes, whose championship is its fifth all-time, also earned America East’s automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Championship and will learn its NCAA draw Sunday night during the selection show, which will air on ESPN at 10 p.m.
Brittany MacFawn earned her second Most Outstanding Player trophy by earning three wins and a save over the weekend. She allowed just three runs in 17 innings of work in Albany’s two wins over Stony Brook Saturday.
MacFawn was joined on the All-Championship team by teammates Snow, Charlise Castro and Marlin Solano, Stony Brook’s Allison Cukrov, Jessica Combs and Olivia Mintun, Binghamton’s Jessica Bump and Bridget Hunt and UMBC’s Chelsea Bertoglio and Danielle O’Neill.
Game 6: Albany 3, Stony Brook 2 - Box Score
Facing elimination and down to its final out in the 2014 America East Softball Championship, Elizabeth Snow delivered a walk-off three-run home run to lift second-seeded Albany to a 3-2, 10 inning win over top-seeded Stony Brook in the tournament’s sixth game Sunday at Stony Brook’s University field. The Great Dane win forced a seventh and deciding game of the championship.
First-team all-conference pitchers Allison Cukrov and Brittany MacFawn kept the teams off the scoreboard through nine innings. Each team had chances, both stranding nine through the first nine innings.
Stony Brook loaded the bases with one out the in the first as Olivia Mintun, who had three hits in the contest, and Shayla Giosia singled and Jessica Zeilman was hit by a pitch. But, MacFawn, Albany’s all-time winningest hurler, retired the next two to end the threat.
Albany threatened in its half of the first as well, putting runners at first and third with one out before Cukrov, the America East Pitcher of the Year, got a strikeout and foul out to end the inning.
The two teams again had opportunities in the fifth, each putting two runners on, but the hurlers got out of the jam.
The game went to extra innings and took until the 10th to see any runs scored. Stony Brook, the visitors struck in its half, plating two runs, the first on a leadoff home run from Jessica Combs and the second on a sacrifice fly from Zeilman.
The Great Danes proved to be resilient in the bottom of the inning. Vicky McFarland led off with a single, one of three hits in the game, and after two outs were recorded Kelly Costello walked. With two outs, Snow, the conference’s Rookie of the Year, drove a 2-0 pitch out to left field to keep her team’s season alive.
MacFawn went the distance, allowing two runs on 10 hits in 10 innings while striking out four and not issuing a walk.
Cukrov was equally impressive, blanking Albany for nine, and allowing just three runs on six hits and seven strikeouts.
Game 7: Albany 8, Stony Brook 1 - Box Score
Behind timely hitting and a strong pitching performance from Brittany MacFawn, second-seeded Albany beat top-seeded Stony Brook, 8-1, in the seventh and decisive game of the 2014 America East Softball Championship Sunday at Stony Brook’s University Field. The win earned Albany its fifth-ever conference title.
The Great Danes wasted no time getting on the board in the second game of the day, scoring twice in the top of the first. Vicky McFarland led off with a double and scored on a single by Charlise Castro, who was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI. She came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Marlin Solano, giving Albany a 2-0 lead.
The Seawolves threatened in the home half of the first as with one out Olivia Mintun singled and Shayla Giosia doubled. But MacFawn, the league leader in strikeouts, fanned the next two hitters to get out of the jam.
The score stayed 2-0 Albany until the sixth when the Great Danes scored four more times. Maggie Cocks and Elizabeth Snow each delivered run-scoring singles and Albany manufactured two more runs with a sacrifice fly and a double steal to take a 6-0 lead after five and a half.
Cocks cushioned Albany’s lead further in the sixth with a two-run blast to right field,
Stony Brook went down fighting in the seventh. Bria Green led off with her 16th home run of the year and the next hitter, Alexandra Pisciotta, was hit by a pitch. But MacFawn avoided further damage by retiring the next three hitters, sealing the league title and an NCAA berth for Albany.
MacFawn allowed just one run on four hits and struck out three to earn her 19th win of the year.