By Anthony Bosco
The Queens College women’s softball team was eliminated from the 2003 Division II NCAA Northeast Regionals, losing both of its games this past week to end the team’s season.
The fifth-seeded Lady Knights, coached by Brian DeMasters, were shutout by both opponents, fourth-seeded NYCAC foe Adelphi, which blanked Queens 6-0 May 8, and the sixth-seeded team from UMass-Lowell, which also kept Queens off the scoreboard in a 9-0 victory Friday.
Queens, which had beaten Adelphi three times during the conference season, including a 12-11 win over the Lady Panthers in the NYCAC Tournament, had no answers for starter Katie Omilak, who was near perfect in helping Adelphi advance to the winners’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament. She struck out two and allowed just two hits and no walks in going the distance for the win.
Fran Piazza and Stephanie Santoro had the hits for the normally potent Queens offense. But it was Adelphi that provided the fireworks in this matchup, touching Santoro, also the starter for the Lady Knights, for six hits and three runs through 2.2 inning of work. DeMasters brought in Victoria Forsythe, who fared only slightly better, surrendering three runs on three hits through 3.1 innings.
For Adelphi, Cheri Pearce doubled home Omilak in the first, Kristine McCarthy belted her sixth homer of the season in the third and Ashley Spreer scored on an error to put the Lady Panthers up 3-0.
Ivy Klein added a solo shot in the fourth and Omilak scored on another Queens error in the fifth. Omilak scored the final run of the game in the sixth.
Queens more than doubled its offensive output against UMass-Lowell the following day, but Forsythe and Erin Lynch were victimized by shoddy fielding as the Lady Knights committed five errors, leading to seven unearned runs.
UMass-Lowell scored one in the second and two more in the third to force Forsythe out of the game after four hits, two walks and three runs, only one of which was earned. Lynch also gave up four hits, but gave up a run in the fifth and five in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Amber Gagnon, who also got the win on the mound, led UMass-Lowell with two hits and three runs scored. Tabitha Hebert was 2-for-4 with a home run.
Santoro had two hits for Queens, while Jessica Blake, Cheryl Cosenzo and Piazza had one hit apiece.
Queens finished the season with an overall record of 28-17.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
