Pacers Lock up Top Seed, Will Host CSAC Championships
Hannah Docalovich brought in the game-winner as Marywood clinched the top seed

Pacers Lock up Top Seed, Will Host CSAC Championships

Softball - 4/29/2017 5:10:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Scranton, Pa. – Marywood University's 14-game win streak came to an end but the Pacers rebounded and defeated Immaculata University 3-2 in the nightcap to clinch the top seed in the upcoming playoffs, as well as home field advantage.  Immaculata won the opener 5-3.

Marywood, who did not lead in either game until the sixth inning of game two, moves to 19-14 (19-3 CSAC).  The split sends Immaculata to 22-14 (17-5). The Mighty Macs will be the #3 seed and will host #6 Gwynedd Mercy Wednesday.

Neumann, who swept Cabrini in two tight games, will be the #2 seed and will also have a first round bye.  Both the Knights and Pacers finished with 19-3 marks but Marywood holds the tiebreaker by virtue of Friday's sweep of the Knights.

In game one, Immaculata held off a late rally attempt by the Pacers to snap Marywood's 14-game win streak with a 5-3 victory.

The Mighty Macs opened the scoring in the first at-bat of the series when Emily Mesey singled down the leftfield line to bring home Abigail Carter, who singled up the middle to start the first inning.
Marywood answered in the bottom half of the first thanks to a RBI double from Brooke Labs that brought home Kaitlyn Epler to tie the game at one.

In the third, the visitors took advantage of some Marywood defensive miscues to take a 3-1 lead. After a run scored on a fielding error, Moriah Hunter brought in another on a single down the leftfield line.
The Pacers were once again quick to respond, as Brooke Labs blasted a two-run shot to left.  That again brought home Epler, who tripled to open the bottom of the third.  A double by Alexa Scala came next, but Immaculata starter Jessica Bormann worked herself of the inning with a pair of groundouts.

In the Mighty Macs' next at-bat, Annemarie Bartow answered Labs' knock with a solo shot of her own, this one going straight over the centerfield fence as Immaculata reclaimed a 4-3 lead.

From there, Immaculata added an insurance run in the sixth on an Ashley Rey RBI double.  Bormann also held off a bottom of the seventh rally attempt by the Pacers.  After getting the first two outs quickly, Marywood loaded the bases with a single and pair of walks. But Bormann got a fielder's choice groundout to pick up her 11th win of the year (11-4).

Alyssa Bavaro (4-3) suffered the loss for Marywood after allowing three earned runs and striking out one over five innings of work.  Katie Siano pitched the final two innings for the Pacers, allowing just one Immaculata hit.

Labs finished the opener 2-for-3 with a homer, double and three RBI.  Epler was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. 

Hunter finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate while Abigail Carter and Emily Mesey helped the Mighty Macs' offense with two hits apiece.  Bormann struck out two and allowed seven hits in the complete-game win.

In the nightcap, Marywood got off to a slow start again as a pair of singles from Carter and Rey gave the visitors runners on early.  A passed ball moved them to second and third where Carter would advance home on a wild pitch to give Immaculata a 1-0 lead.

Alexa Scala made it a 1-1 ballgame in the bottom of the first with a single to left that scored Heather Schultz, who had reached on an infield single and moved to second on a Labs groundout.  Despite moving to third on a wild pitch, Scala would be stranded there as the two teams went to the second inning tied 1-1.

Immaculata ended two innings of scoreless action in the fourth.  With runners on the corners and two outs, Hunter singled to short and brought home Mesey to give the Mighty Macs a 2-1 edge.

Marywood's offense came alive in the bottom of the fifth as well. Sarah Witte singled down the leftfield line and moved to second on a bad throw.  Epler than sacrifice bunted Witte to third, but Witte was caught in a rundown on the next at-bat as Heather Schultz reached on a fielder's choice putout. 

After Labs walked to put runners on first and second, Alexa Scala doubled to center to score Schultz and tie the game at 2-2.  Marywood missed a golden opportunity to take the lead as Labs was gunned down at the plate on an 8-6-2 putout. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Marywood took their first lead of either game.  With Mallory Porada on first, Sam Reid doubled down the right field line to move Porada to third.  Hanna Docalovich then hit a sac fly to right field, allowing Porada to give the Pacers a 3-2 lead.

Down to their final at-bat, Alvarez got a groundout to short, groundout to second and pop-out to second to clinch home field advantage.

Scala finished the nightcap 2-for-3 with two RBI while Schultz was also 2-for-3.  Alvarez improved to 9-5 on the year after striking out five and allowing just one earned run. 

Despite the second longest winning streak in program history (17 games in 1987) coming to a close, Marywood will await the lowest remaining seed in Friday's Championship round opener. The Friday-Saturday format is double-elimination after Wednesday's single-elimination first round.  Cabrini will be the #4 seed and will host #5 Cedar Crest.
 
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