Softball Eliminated From NCAA Tournament After First Day
5/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 17, 2001
Lehigh Box Score | Washington Box Score
NORMAN, OK - The Seton Hall softball team dropped a 2-0 decision to Lehigh on May 17, getting eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after two losses. The Pirates, the No. 5 seed at the Norman, OK, Regional, lost 6-0 to Washington earlier in the day. Seton Hall finishes its season with a 29-16 record.
Lehigh starter Jenny Bender allowed just five Pirate hits over seven innings to improve to 18-6, while also driving in Lehigh's first run in the third inning with a single. Seton Hall had been shut out just twice during the regular season prior to Thursday's shutouts.
Seton Hall starter Christina Shanko (Delmont, PA) pitched a solid game for Seton Hall, as she went six innings and allowed two unearned runs. She struck out three and walked two but fell to 12-9 on the season.
Lehigh scored both of its runs on the result of Seton Hall errors. In the third inning, Shanko threw the ball away on a grounder to the pitcher with no outs and the runner eventually scored on Bender's hit. In the sixth inning, Chris Duncan singled, went to second on a passed ball, went to third on a sacrifice and scored when Seton Hall catcher Ryan Barry (Rochester, NY) threw the ball into left field on a pickoff attempt.
Seton Hall was led at the plate by freshman catcher Meg Berry (Mahwah, NJ), who went 2-for-3. Berry also had the Pirates' only hit in the Washington game and was 3-for-4 at the tournament.
In the first game of the day, the Pirates managed just one hit and lost 6-0 to No. 12 Washington.
Washington pitcher Tia Bollinger allowed just an infield single in the sixth inning to Berry and a fourth-inning walk to freshman McKenzie Richards (Modesto, CA) in six innings of work. She improved to 34-6 on the season, striking out eight Pirates.
Seton Hall's starter, senior Misty Beaver (Machesney Park, IL), ran into trouble in the first inning when Washington leadoff hitter Rita Roach bunted to third base but no one was covering first. Roach stole second and later scored on a double by Kelly Hauxhurst. Beaver hit Jamie Clark and walked Kim DePaul to load the bases. Amanda Oleson singled through the right side to plate two more runs.
Beaver settled down for the next three innings but surrendered a one-out, three-run homer in the fourth to Courtney Jeffries to make it 6-0. The six earned runs Beaver gave up were the most she has allowed this year. She struck out three in four innings and fell to 15-7.
Freshman pitcher Casey McDevitt (Sarasota, FL) was strong in relief for the Pirates, pitched two scoreless innings without giving up a hit and striking out four.
Seton Hall ends its season after receiving the first NCAA bid in school history. The Pirates finished second at the BIG EAST Tournament and were awarded an at-large bid.
"It was a really rewarding season," Seton Hall head coach Ray Vander May said. "We're happy with all of the accomplishments, we're just not happy with the ending. We'll just have to get back to work again and get better."
2001 NCAA NO. 5 REGIONAL
OU SOFTBALL STADIUM
NORMAN, OK
Thursday, May 17 Results
No. 1 Oklahoma 9, No. 6 Lehigh 2
No. 2 Washington 6, No. 5 SETON HALL 0
No. 4 Massachusetts 4, No. 3 North Carolina 2
Lehigh 2, Seton Hall 0
