MONTCLAIR, N.J. (5/17/14) – The No. 19 Kean University softball team fell in the 2014 NCAA Division III Super Regional Round to No. 12 Montclair State University on Saturday by scores of 2-0 and 4-1. The Red Hawks won the best-of-three series and tied the season series between the two rivals at three wins apiece.
Game One
As Kean began the game at the plate in the first inning, Sandra Binkiewicz put a charge into a drive into the right-centerfield gap with two outs. But MSU centerfielder Sophia Ivezaj tracked it down on the run at the warning track to end the inning and bring the Red Hawks up for the first time.
Montclair scored two in the home half of the first. Brooke Powers and Dana Amato had both hits and scored both runs in the frame.
After a shaky first inning that included a run-scoring illegal pitch, Kean starter Courtney Yard got through the next three innings scoreless, including retiring five-straight Red Hawks at one stretch.
All-American Alex Hill pitched exceedingly well for the Red Hawks. Through five innings she had allowed just one hit and had nine strikeouts.
Yard continued her scoreless string in the fifth, helped by a great full-speed catch into the wall by Binkiewicz in center.
Hill pitched around a one-out linedrive single by Megan Cegielski to put the Red Hawks three outs away from a game one victory.
Yard finished up with the final five innings scoreless. She allowed just one earned run on six hits and four strikeouts. But she was outdueled by Hill, who earned her 18th shutout of the season in the 2-0 victory.
Game Two
Once again Montclair took advantage of a Kean miscue to score in the first inning. Also once again, the Red Hawks used two hits to score – these by Alisha Cumberton and Tara Petrucelli - as they lept out to a 1-0 advantage.
In another game-one similarity, Ivezaj blatantly robbed Binkiewicz of extra bases by tracking down what seemed to be a sure gapper in left-centerfield.
In the top of the third, MSU scored again as a two-out RBI double by Amato increased the Red Hawk lead to two.
Jill Martin (pictured left) broke up Hill's perfect game bid with a two-out single down the leftfield line in the third. She also stole second but was stranded there when the inning ended.
Three more MSU hits brought in two fourth inning runs for the Red Hawks as they continued to pad their lead. The score was 4-0 midway through the game.
Tonianne DeMatteo continued to hit the ball well; she struck a two-out double to leftfield in the fifth inning. Martin was hit by a pitch and Cegielski singled to center to load the bases. Freshman Emily Sabo came through with an RBI single to score the first Kean run of the day.
But that was as close as Kean would come. Neither side scored over the final two innings – though seniors Kelly Moorehead and Martin had hits in their final collegiate at-bats - and the Red Hawks held on to win 4-1 in game two.
Montclair has advanced to the NCAA Finals, hosted by Texas-Tyler from May 22-27 at Suddenlink Field in Tyler, Texas. The will compete against seven other schools for the NCAA Championship. It is their third-straight trip to the NCAA final site.
Kean has been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament and ends its season with a 35-13 record.
