Softball's NCAA Tournament Run Ends In Setback To Coast Guard

Providence, RI --- Nationally-ranked Coast Guard defeated Worcester State, 4-1, in an elimination game of the losers bracket at the Providence Regional of the 2011 NCAA Div. III Softball Championship played at Rhode Island College's Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex.

The Bears (38-3), who are ranked sixth in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, will face Rhode Island College this afternoon at 4 PM in an elimination contest. The Anchorwomen eliminated Endicott, 4-3, in the previous contest.

The Lancers are eliminated from the tournament and have completed their season with a mark of 29-11, a program record.

Coast Guard junior Hayley Feindel (River Ridge, LA) was brilliant, allowing just one run on two hits in a 16-strikeout performance.

Worcester State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as once again illegal pitches plagued Feindel. After a strikeout to start the frame, sophomore Alex Kerr (Franklin, MA) singled to left field. After another punchout, Feindel thought she had junior Jaime Jacobs (Billerica, MA) down on strikes as well, but an illegal pitch extended the at-bat and Jacobs eventually worked a walk to put runners on first and second.

Freshman Carolyn Hassett (Charlton, MA) helped the Lancers capitalize on the situation with an RBI bloop single to left field that gave WSU a 1-0 lead.

The Bears had runners on first and second with two out in the bottom of the third, but Worcester State senior Michaella Mahoney (Shrewsbury, MA) kept them off the board with an inning-ending fly ball.

Coast Guard repeated the threat in the fourth as sophomore Holli Bastinck (Wayne, NJ) singled and was sacrificed to second. Classmate Megan Cook (Virginia Beach, VA) was hit by a pitch and the pair moved up to second and third on a Mahoney illegal pitch. Freshman Kaitlin Ward (Saline, MI) tied the game, 1-1, with an RBI single before the Lancers closed out the frame without any further damage.

Things quickly came unraveled in the fifth for Worcester State. Freshman Devin Fellman (New Port Richey, FL) led off for Coast Guard with a single up the middle and junior Maddie Buchert (Metairie, LA) followed with an infield single to second base. Senior Amanda Frederick (Lebanon, OH) took an outside pitch and drove it over the right field fence for an opposite field three-run homer for her seventh of the season to stake Feindel to a 4-1 lead.

Mahoney (16-4) was lifted for sophomore Hannah Everson (Methuen, MA) after Bastinck reached on an error and retired the next three Bears in order to keep WSU within striking distance.

Feindel did the rest in the sixth and the seventh to secure the win.

Buchert went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Frederick went 1-for-3 with three RBI and a homer.

Mahoney finishes her outstanding Worcester State career with an overall record of 37-24 with 376 strikeouts in 409 frames. Both her punchouts, innings, complete games (53) and shutouts (16) are fourth on WSU's all-time list.

Release Courtesy of Rhode Island College Sports Information