Providence, RI 5/1/09 -Freshman pitcher Courtney
Savoie (Stratham, NH) fired a two-hit shutout and
sophomore shortstop Katie Bradford (Lebanon, NH)
dealt the big blow with a three-run double to lead second-seeded
Keene State past fifth-seeded Plymouth State, 8-0 (5 innings), in
game seven of the 2009 Little East Conference Softball Championship
Tournament.
The Owls (24-13) will play the loser of fourth-seeded Western
Connecticut and top-seeded Rhode Island College (4 p.m.) tomorrow
morning at 10 a.m. in an elimination contest. Plymouth State
(22-16) is eliminated from the tournament.
KSC was pushed into the loser's bracket after losing to the
Panthers 2-1 in their tournament opener. "We had a similar plan the
other day, but the kids were so uptight because it was their first
tournament game. They were trying to over swing and over
throw and got themselves in trouble," said KSC Coach
Charlie Beach. "But we played more relaxed
today and it was a much better result."
Keene State scored six runs on five hits in the second inning,
chasing Plymouth State junior pitcher Jenna George (Cumberland, RI)
from the game. Freshman second baseman Laura
Chandler (Wakefield, MA) and senior left fielder
Allie D'Amato (Bristol, CT) notched RBI singles,
while senior center fielder Jenna Patnode (Surry,
NH) contributed a sacrifice fly, prior to Bradford's blast to
center field.
Plymouth State senior pitcher Courtney MacFarland (Hampstead,
NH) came on in relief and held the Owls off the board until the
fifth inning. Freshman first baseman Haley
Chandler (Wakefield, MA) and classmate designated player
Sam Pratt (West Hartford, CT) smacked RBI singles
to make it an 8-0 advantage.
Savoie raises her record to 9-3, striking out six in the win. "I
just worked on focusing on each batter and keeping their batters
off-balance by working outside and changing speeds," said Savoie.
"Steph (Lavado) called a great game and we were able to follow our
game plan."
George sees her record fall to 8-6.
PSU freshman second baseman Heather Blase (Milford, NH)
collected the Panthers' only hits, going 2-for-2 with a stolen
base. KSC's Pratt went 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI.
Starting with a 10 a.m. game against either RIC or Western
Conn., the Owls will have to win out to claim their fifth LEC
crown. "Either one of them is a difficult task. They're both
very good softball teams," said Beach. "I told the players
yesterday 'we've beat the teams left in the tournament. The
problem is they've also beaten us.'"
