FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 4, 2007

2007 Little East Conference Softball Tournament
 Score Report

Providence, RI

GAME EIGHT

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2

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#3 Western Connecticut (24-11)

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1

0

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6

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#1 Rhode Island College (34-5)

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5

2

ANDRUSKIWEC’S GAME-SAVING CATCH LEADS COLONIALS TO WIN
Slie Keeps Rolling as WestConn Jumps into the Driver’s Seat

Providence, RI—Freshman center fielder Becca Anduskiwec (Orange, CT) made  over-the-shoulder, diving grab at the 225-foot mark in the deepest part of the Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex to keep top-seeded Rhode Island College off the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning of game eight at the 2007 Little East Conference Softball Tournament and lead Western Connecticut to a 2-0 victory.

The loss forces the Anchorwomen (34-5) to play an elimination game with second-seeded Keene State on Saturday, May 5 at 10 a.m. The third-seeded Colonials (24-11) will face the winner at noon. Rhode Island College will have to defeat the Owls, then beat Western Connecticut twice (double elimination format) in order to capture their second consecutive LEC Tournament crown.

Despite trailing, 2-0, the Anchorwomen kept up the pressure all game. RIC loaded the bases with two down in the third, but WestConn junior left fielder Meg Brunell (North Attleboro, MA) hauled in RIC junior third baseman Krystal Bilek’s (Fitchburg, MA) deep drive at the wall for the inning’s final out.

RIC came into the bottom of the sixth with its 3-4-5 hitters due up. Senior catcher Kristyn Alexander (East Wareham, MA), who went 2-for-3 on the day, singled to get things started. Alexander was lifted for freshman speedster Robyn Zemienieski (Old Saybrook, CT) who came on as a pinch runner. Bilek came up and crushed a drive to straight-away center and Andruskiwec robbed her of extra bases with the diving grab. Zemienieski, who was rounding third when the ball was caught, was doubled off at first. WestConn junior pitcher Shelby Slie (Seymour, CT) retired freshman designated player Mandy Shurgot (Woonsocket, RI) with a fly out and then retired the side in order in the seventh to earn the win.

Slie ups her record to 12-3 on the season, allowing just five hits, while striking out four. She is 3-0 at the LEC Tournament, having not allowed a run in 17.2 innings of work. She went 2-for-3 with an RBI in today’s win as well.

WestConn scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the top of the first as Brunell led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on senior first baseman Meg Cirigliano’s (Newington, CT) RBI single.

The Colonials added an insurance run in the second as senior right fielder Julia Wullen (Bergenfield, NJ) singled, was sacrificed to second, stole third and then scored on a Slie infield hit.

Rhode Island College senior pitcher Nicole Riley (North Providence, RI) was the loser (24-3), allowing two runs on six hits to go along with six strikeouts.

-Complete box score to follow-