BALTIMORE – UMBC and Stony Brook will once again play for the 2021 #AESB title. After meeting in the 2019 championship game, the Retrievers and the Seawolves each advanced to this year’s America East Softball Championship Saturday with wins on day two of the tournament Friday at The Diamond at UMBC.
In the first game of the day, top-seeded UMBC got a pair of clutch hits from Sierra Pierce to beat third-seeded Stony Brook, 4-1, to advance to the title game(s) out of the winner’s bracket. The Seawolves recovered with a 6-1 win over second-seeded UAlbany in the third game of the day to reach the title round for the second-straight tournament. In the second game of the day, UAlbany knocked off fourth-seeded UMass Lowell, 4-3.
Championship Saturday begins at 12 p.m. with the Retrievers and Seawolves squaring off. The game will air on AmericaEast.TV. Should Stony Brook win, the two teams would play again at approximately 2:30 in a winner take all title bout. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Championship.
2021 #AESB Championship Day 2 Recap
UMBC 4, Stony Brook 1
- Sierra Pierce reached base three times and drove in three to lead UMBC (24-11) back to its second-straight #AESB Championship game.
- Pierce, a second-team All-America East selection, put her team up 1-0 with an RBI single in the first.
- Stony Brook got the run right back in the top of the second on Riley Craig’s single inside the first-base bag.
- But, the Retrievers wasted no time in taking the lead back, as they went up 3-1 on Pierce’s two-run double in the home half of the frame.
- In the fifth, Pierce walked and came around to score on an RBI groundout by Shanei Stott.
- Courtney Coppersmith earned the win in the circle, allowing just one run in the complete-game effort with seven strikeouts.
UAlbany 4, UMass Lowell 3
- UAlbany used a three-run third inning to down UMass Lowell and stay alive in the #AESB Championship.
- In the third, Caitlyn Mitros reached on an error and brought home Tara Driver to stake UAlbany to a 1-0 lead.
- That lead grew to 3-0 just one batter later as Morgan Petty delivered a two-run single.
- UMass Lowell (13-18) got two back in the fourth on one swing of the bat as Maria Moccio crushed a two-run home run to center field.
- Driver pushed UAlbany’s advantage back to two with an RBI single in the home half of the fourth.
- A sacrifice fly from Jennifer Lee made it 4-3 in the sixth and the River Hawks loaded the bases in the seventh, but Brianna Garrett closed the door to earn the save.
- Wendi Hammond went six strong innings to earn her 11th win of the season.
Stony Brook 6, UAlbany 1
- Stony Brook got two runs in the third and three in the fourth paired with solid pitching from Dawn Bodrug to eliminate UAlbany and advance to the championship game for the second-straight season.
- UAlbany (23-19) got on the board first in its first at bat as first-team All-AE DP Maranda Jimenez delivered a run-scoring double.
- Stony Brook (27-15) got even right away on Brooke Dye’s sac fly in the second.
- The Seawolves offense exploded from there with two more in the third and three in the fourth.
- Consecutive RBI singles by Kyra McFarland and Nicole McCarville staked SBU to a 3-1 lead before Julianna Sanzone added insurance with a three-run blast to left field to put her team up 6-1 in the fourth.
- Dawn Bodrug was sparkling in the circle, allowing just the one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links. After the game, visit for box scores and recaps in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEDigitalNet on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AESB hashtags to join the conversation.
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