Little East Conference recently issued the following announcement.
In a first-round game in the NCAA Division III Union, NJ Regional Tournament Friday against unranked Waynesburg University, Eastern Connecticut State University survived to advance despite a relatively quiet performance from its high-powered offense.
Playing host Kean University (32-8) Saturday in the winners' bracket, the Warriors were not as fortunate, with senior All-America first baseman Brooke Matyasovsky's (Orange) first-inning two-run home run – which was her 40th and tied the career record – providing the only semblance of offense as the No. 3 nationally-ranked Warriors fell into the losers' bracket in a 3-2 loss which ended a 22-game winning streak.
Eastern (38-5) will face third-seeded Alfred University (26-15) Sunday at 10 a.m. in an elimination game of the four-team, double-elimination tournament. That game was originally scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. but was postponed due to rain. Alfred lost, 3-1, to Kean in Friday's opener but stayed alive with a 6-1 win that eliminated Waynesburg Saturday.
The Eastern-Alfred winner must bean Kean twice to advance to this coming weekend's Super Regional.
Matyasovsky equaled last year's total of 15 home runs (one shy of the season record) with a one-out home run in the first that scored graduate centerfielder Cassie Woods (Mystic), who had led off the game with an infield single, but the Warriors were limited to three hits the rest of the way by Heather Clevenger, who walked five but went the distance for her 15th win in 16 decisions.
Senior All-America Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) and 2022 Little East Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year Alexis Michon (Montville) were even more dominant than Clevenger, but Eastern's offense could not overcome No. 3 hitter Eliza Filus' two-out, three-run double in the third that followed a hit-by-pitch, bunt single and walk. Those were the only hits that the Cougars managed in the game.
Clevenger protected the lead in the sixth by stranding senior catcher Carolyn Biel (Wallingford) at first with an inning-ending outfield fly ball and ended the game when Matyasovsky lined into a double play.
Matyasovsky reached three times with her home run and two walks, as did Biel, who singled and drew two walks. Leading, 2-0, Eastern couldn't pad the lead in the second despite collecting two hits. Biel opened with a single but her pinch runner was doubled up on an infield fly ball. Woods then bunted for a hit and stole second but Clevenger got a fly ball on a 3-2 to end the threat.
Bolduk (12-2) had a nine-game winning streak snapped when she was charged with all three runs over the first four innings while fanning five, walking two and hitting a batter. Michon fanned four over the final two hitless innings and has now given up only one hit in 5 2/3 inning in the tournament but has walked five. She was charged with two runs on one hit in 3 2/3 innings as the starter against Waynesburg before Morgan earned the win with 3 1/3 relief innings.
Of its last four NCAA losses, all have come by one run.
Original source can be found here.
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