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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE |
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May 15, 2005 |
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The
2005 Eastern College Athletic Conference
New England Div. III Softball Tournament
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Northampton, MA
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Teams
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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R
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H
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E
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#8
Western Connecticut (26-16-1) |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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3 |
4 |
1 |
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#3
Rhode Island College (28-15) |
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1 |
0 |
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2 |
1 |
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4 |
5 |
2 |
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ANCHORWOMEN WIN ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Heidi Eichler Earns Tournament MVP Honors
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Northampton,
MA—Third-seeded
Rhode Island College defeated eighth-seeded Western Connecticut, 4-3,
to capture the 2005 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) N.E.
Div. III Softball Tournament Championship. It is the third ECAC title
for the program, which won the championship in 1984 and 1986 as well. RIC
freshman pitcher Heidi Eichler (Madison,
CT) was named the
Tournament Most Valuable Player as she went 2-0 with one save and
eight strikeouts in three appearances. Eichler threw a perfect game
(five innings) in RIC’s, 9-0, win over Suffolk yesterday. |
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In the Championship Game, RIC junior
center fielder Megan Ponte (Wakefield,
RI) singled in the bottom
of the seventh. With one out, freshman first baseman Christie Lotti
(Waterford, CT)
doubled. The ball was misplayed in the outfield, which allowed Ponte
to score the game-winning run and give RIC the title. |
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Western Connecticut jumped out to a,
3-0, lead in the top of the third as freshman catcher Jessica Watts
(Milford, CT) belted a three-run home run. RIC plated one in the
third and tied the game up, 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth. In the
sixth, Lotti walked and stole second. Junior left fielder Katie
Benevides (North Dighton, MA) then walked and shortstop Adora
Burke (Naples, ME) doubled in Lotti and advanced Benevides to
third. Benevides scored on a wild pitch from WCSU freshman relief
pitcher Shelby Slie (Seymour, CT) to tie the game up. |
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Eichler earned the win (14-8),
throwing a complete game with two strikeouts. Slie took the loss for
the Colonials. |
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RIC eliminated sixth-seeded Elms,
10-2, in first round action on Wednesday, May 11. The Anchorwomen
advanced to the double-elimination championship round, held at Smith
on May 14-15. RIC shut out fourth-seeded Suffolk, 9-0, in five innings
on May 14. The Anchorwomen came back and won game two, 1-0, against
second-seeded Smith. The Colonials had to defeat Smith, 4-1, on
Sunday, May 15 before eventually falling to the Anchorwomen in the
finals. |
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ECAC N.E. Div. III Softball
Tournament MVP Heidi Eichler
& RIC Head Coach Maria Morin |
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