Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. – Despite a pair of hits each for senior Chelsea Harold and freshman Brandy Dianno, the University of New Haven softball team was eliminated from the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Southern Connecticut State University on Sunday afternoon. The Chargers, recently standing at No. 7 in the East Region poll, will await the NCAA Tournament selection show, scheduled to begin, tomorrow, May 9, 2011 at 10 a.m. The selection show will be hosted on www.NCAA.com.

With their second loss in as many days, the Chargers dropped to 34-17 on the season, leaving the Owls to advance to the championship game against Merrimack College later on this afternoon. The Warriors handed SCSU its lone loss of the tournament yesterday morning.

Wearing the home uniforms, the Chargers were able to grasp an early lead in the second inning of play. Brooke Fisher and Shannon Angehr reached base with one out after a walk and a single through the left side. After surrendering its second out of the inning, Lucy Francisco kept the rally alive with a single to the shortstop – loading the bases for New Haven. Harold and Dianno followed, each lacing RBI singles to give the Chargers a 2-0 advantage.

After a scoreless third, the Owls got the bats going in their next plate appearances to tie the game. SCSU scored on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single square up the score at two apiece. Jessica Rosa and Stacy Pouliot were credited with RBI in the frame.

Unfortunately, the Owls’ bats came back to life in the fifth inning, as the away team captured their first lead of the game. Junior Jillian Thibault launched a two-run homerun, granting SCSU a 4-2 advantage. The Chargers put runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings, but could only get one run back, ending its tournament championship bid.

Junior pitcher Micah Stonesifer scattered eight hits over seven innings, allowed four runs and struck out five in the losing effort. Offensively, the Chargers collected nine hits from seven different players.

Fisher was named to the 2011 NE-10 All-Tournament team for her efforts. She finished 3-for-9 (.333) with five RBI, two runs scored and a couple of walks in four outings. The highlight of her weekend came against Assumption College when she belted a go-ahead grandslam in the fifth inning, propelling the Chargers to a 5-2 victory.

If admitted to the tournament, a likely case, the Chargers will open on Friday, May 13 at one of the two top seed’s venues. The East Region is made up of two four-team double elimination tournaments, with the winners meeting the following week in the Super-Regionals.