Plattsburgh State Scores Late to Defeat Rhode Island

Three Seventh Inning Miscues Costly for Anchorwomen

May 19, 2007  -  Box Score

SALEM, Va. --- Plattsburgh State University (36-13) took advantage of three seventh-inning errors to score five times and pull away from Rhode Island College (41-7) on the way to a 10-3 victory in the sixth game of the 2007 NCAA Division III Softball Championship.  Plattsburgh State moves on to face DePauw University at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.  Rhode Island was eliminated from the tournament with its second loss.

“It certainly feels good to win the first game ever in our program in the [NCAA Division III Softball finals],” explained Plattsburgh head coach Sean Cotter.  “I thought we had a very good approach offensively today, and we’re really excited about our next challenge coming up.”

For the second straight game, errors plagued Rhode Island College.  The Anchorwomen committed four mistakes on the game to go with seven in a loss to UW-Eau Claire yesterday.  Three of the errors against Plattsburgh came in the seventh inning when Plattsburgh scored five times to put the game out of reach.

“There’s definitely no excuse for it (errors) this late in the game, we shouldn’t be making these types of errors,” explained Rhode Island head coach Maria Morin.  “They’re not happy with the way they played.  We’re not a seven error team, and we’re not a four error team.  We haven’t been that type of a team all season long.”

Plattsburgh got on the board first with three runs in the top to of the third inning.  Kirby Davids led off with a bunt single to third and moved up on a passed ball before scoring on a base hit up the middle by Amy Woo.  After Jenn Nescio bunted her way on and then stole second, Shannon Connors, knocked both Woo and Nescio in with a double to the right-center field gap.

Rhode Island got one back in the bottom half of the frame.  Lead-off hitter Christie Lotti pulled a pitch down the right field line and cleared the fence for her third homer of the season. 

The Cardinals increased their lead with two more in the fourth.  Stephanie Blood bunted her way on to start the inning and was joined on the basepaths by Andrea Stupp following a single to right.  The pair score two outs later a dropped pop-up by the Rhode Island first baseman.

The Anchorwomen again responded with another run in the bottom half of the fourth and one more in the sixth to cut the Cardinal’s lead to 5-3.  Cassandra Taverna hit her first homer of the season to account for the run in the fourth frame.  In the sixth, Kristyn Alexander led off with a double to left.  Pinch runner Robyn Zemieniesk moved to third on an error by the Plattsburgh first baseman, and came around to score on a single to right by Jackie Dube.

Stephanie Zweig picked up the win for the Cardinals, improving to 16-7 on the season.  She gave up two runs on four hits in four innings of work.  She did not walk or strike out a batter.  Nicole Riley took the loss for Rhode Island.  She falls to 29-5 after surrendering 10 runs, six earned, on 12 hits in a full seven innings of work.  She fanned three and walked a batter.

Woo led four Cardinals with multi-hit games with three basehits.  She also drove in two runs.  Connors picked up three RBI and Danielle Gjergji knocked in a pair.

Lotti and Dube led the Anchowomen with two hits and an RBI apiece.