BABSON PARK, Mass. - Junior pitcher Clara Hard (Seattle, Wash.) tossed a two-hit shutout to lead Williams College to a 5-0 win over Keene State College in the championship game of the 2005 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament New England Regional at Babson College on Sunday. Williams (28-12) will now represent New England as the eighth seed in the 2005 Division III Softball Championship Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Ephs' first contest will take place on Friday, May 20 at 11 a.m. against the first-round winner of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa bracket. Meanwhile, Keene State finishes its remarkable season with a record of 34-8.

Hard was nearly perfect in the final game for Williams, giving up just two hits, walking none, and striking out six. She allowed a lead-off single to right-center by first-year Kristie Braley (Derry, N.H.) to begin the third and a two-out single to left by first-year Melissa Scata (Medway, Mass.) in the seventh. Hard faced just two over the minimum in the contest as she improved her record to 16-3.

The Williams offense produced its first run in the top of the second, as junior Christine Williams (Clifton Park, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a double to right by sophomore Katelyn Knox (Great Falls, Va.). Junior Laura Noel (Houston, Texas) then knocked in Williams with a single to center, giving Williams a 1-0 lead.

Williams added to its lead in the third inning, when sophomore Cathleen Clark (Plymouth, N.Y.) drew a walk, went to second on a sacrifice, and scored on an RBI single to center by junior Alana Frost (Oakland, Calif.). Frost would later score on a fielding error to give her team a 3-0 advantage. The Ephs would then add two more runs in the fifth, as Williams drove in Frost with a single and senior Mary Baccash (Evanston, Ill.) scored on a wild pitch, resulting in the 5-0 final.

Frost finished with two hits, two runs scored, and an RBI for Williams, while sophomore pitcher Erin Fuoroli (Warwick, R.I.) allowed four earned runs on nine hits while striking out three for Keene State. It was her first loss of the season, as she dropped to 6-1.

Position - Honoree, School, Hometown
Pitcher - Clara Hard, Williams College, Seattle, Wash.
Pitcher - Meghan McLoughlin, Keene State College, Brattleboro, Vt.
Catcher- Megan Young, Endicott College, Portland, Maine
First Base - Kara Courtney, Babson College, Northampton, Mass.
Second Base - Alana Frost, Williams College, Oakland, Calif.
Shortstop - Elyse Colby, Endicott College, Manchester, N.H.
Third Base - Kelly McDonough, UMaine-Farmington, Windham, Maine
Outfield - Katelyn Knox, Williams College, Great Falls, Va.
Outfield - Kari Gardner, Keene State College, Grafton, Mass.
Outfield - Andrea Cartullo, Babson College, Holbrook, Mass.
DP/Utility - Cathleen Clark, Williams College, Plymouth, N.H.
At-Large - Kerri McMahon, Williams College, Denville, N.J.
At-Large - Ashlee Nicholson, Keene State College, Swanzey, N.H.
At-Large - Alax Lazar, Babson College, Milton, Mass.
At-Large - Mary Berry, UMaine-Farmington, Norridgewock, Maine