Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. - The #3 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, including a long home run from sophomore Beth Gargon (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton), for an 8-0, six-inning rule win over #6 Elms College in Friday’s first round of the NCAA Division III Softball Regional at Ithaca College’s Kostrinsky Field. 

With the victory, the Red Hawks improve to 35-5 and advance into the winners bracket where they will face #2 Ithaca at 2pm on Friday afternoon.  The Blazers fall into the losers brack and are now 27-11.  They face Penn St.-Behrend in an elimination game on Friday at 12pm.

With a 2-0 lead going into the sixth inning, the Red Hawks broke open the score with their rally, which was started by Gargon's leadoff home run.  The bats stayed hot with sophomore Courtney Sweeney (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) and senior Stephanie Vanek (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) delivering RBI doubles to make it a 6-0 lead.  Senior Amy Huling (Vienna, VA/Holton-Arms) secured the victory with a two-run, game-ending double to centerfield.

“Without a doubt Gargon’s home run was the spark,” said head coach Erika Lewis. “She had had a couple tough at-bats but got the job done.  After that the other players knew they could get the job done offensively.”

Neither team had a hitter reach base until the bottom of the third inning when RPI sophomore second baseman Logan Russell (Cranbury, NJ/Princeton) delivered the game’s first hit, a leadoff single up the middle.  An infield error and a fielders’ choice loaded the bases for freshman shortstop Sara Finkbeiner (Napanoch, NY/Ellenville), who roped an RBI single down the leftfield line to give the Red Hawks a 1-0 lead.

The Blazers got their first hit of the afternoon off Rensselaer starter Michelle Street (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) in the top of the fourth, a one-out single down the leftfield line by sophomore Karyn Palomba (Enfield, CT/Enrico Fermi).  Freshman Amanda DeSimone (Providence, RI/Classical) reached on a fielder's choice, but RPI kept the visitor's off the scoreboard.

Huling pulled the Red Hawks ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI single to leftfield.  Sweeney led off the inning with a single to left and she advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by classmate Ann Cosgrove (Albany, NY/Albany).  Finkbeiner kept the inning alive, running out a bunt to bring up Huling, who drove in her team-leading 35th run batted in.

Street allowed just two hits while striking out ten batters to improve to 17-2 on the season.  For the Blazers, senior pitcher Kristi Guzzo (Springfield, MA/Cathedral) allowed seven earned runs on 13 hits with two strikeouts