Megan Ponte & Nicole Riley Named To N.E. Regional Softball All-Tournament Team

Providence, RI— Rhode Island College senior Megan Ponte (Wakefield, RI) and junior Nicole Riley (North Providence, RI) were named to the 2006 NCAA Div. III New England Regional Softball All-Tournament Team.

Ponte was named as an outfielder. She batted .667 (4-for-6) with one run scored, one RBI and two stolen bases in two games. A Second Team All-Little East Conference outfielder, she played in 44 games, starting all of them, on the season. She batted .279 (36-for-129) with 15 runs scored, two doubles, four triples, two home runs, 15 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Riley, a pitcher, was an At-Large selection to the All-Tournament Team. She started and threw every inning for the Anchorwomen in the postseason. She logged 17.0 innings, allowing four runs on ten hits, while striking out 18, to go 2-0 at the Regional Tournament. Both of her wins came in extra innings. She fired a three-hit shutout, while striking out 14, in RIC’s 1-0, nine-inning win over seventh-seeded St. Joseph’s-Long Island on May 11. She also went 2-for-5 at the plate over both contests. The Little East Conference Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-LEC selection was 26-2 with a 1.38 ERA and 172 strikeouts and two saves on the season.

Head Coach Maria Morin’s team went 2-0 at the NCAA Div. III New England Regional Softball Tournament, earning a 1-0 (9) win over St. Joseph’s-Long Island on May 11 and coming from three runs down in the bottom of the seventh to tie and eventually win, 5-4, over third-seeded Western New England on May 12. Due to inclement weather, the tournament was halted after eight games and top-seeded Williams advanced per NCAA rules.

The Anchorwomen conclude the 2006 season with a 35-8-1 overall record.

-end-