Box Score

BANGOR, Maine – Fifth-seeded Tufts University scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings and the fourth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University softball team left nine runners on base and was eliminated in the fourth round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Bangor, ME Regional Tournament, 2-1, Sunday at O'Keefe Field on the Husson University campus.
 
The 2-1 win is the second in the tournament for undefeated Tufts (20-5), which scored twice with two outs in the seventh inning to defeat second-seeded Babson College Friday and needs one win over top seed and once-beaten Husson University later Sunday for the regional title.
 
The one-run loss is the second in the tournament for Eastern (32-4), which fell to third-seeded Brandeis University, 10-9, on Friday before bouncing back to mercy Husson, 9-1, and subdue sixth-seeded Endicott College, 7-4, Saturday to advance to Sunday's play as one of three remaining teams in the original field of six.
 
Senior righty Kristin Van Meter (2-0), who had pitched four innings of scoreless relief in Tufts' 5-1 loss to Eastern in the regional championship game in 2019, shut out Eastern on one hit for the final 3 1/3 innings Sunday, stranding four runners (three in scoring position), striking out five and walking one.

With Eastern trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, graduate centerfielder Cassie Woods (Mystic) recorded the only Eastern hit off Van Meter with a leadoff single to center. A comebacker to Van Meter moved the tying run into scoring position, but Woods – following a 59-minute rain delay -- was caught between bases on junior utility player Brooke Matyasovsky's (Orange) ground ball to shortstop Mia Steinberg and called out at third for making contact above the shoulders despite knocking the ball loose from third baseman Rachel Moore.
 
With sophomore pinch runner Taylor Darby (South Windsor) representing the tying run at first, Van Meter ended the game and Eastern's season with a called strikeout.
 
The Warriors stranded six runners in the first four innings but managed to take a 1-0 lead on Woods' two-out double in the fourth which drove in pinch runner Carolyn Biel (Wallingford) from third. Sophomore DP Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, Ont.) had drawn a leadoff walk and Biel moved to second on freshman Sarah Remillard's (Grafton, MA) sacrifice bunt and to third on senior Megan Hodgdon's (Cheshire) single to center.
 
Woods' RBI double knocked out senior right-handed starting pitcher Kristina Haghdan in favor of Van Meter, who got a deep fly ball to left to prevent further damage and leave two runners in scoring position. Eastern had threatened in the second and third before breaking through in the fourth, but left the bases loaded in the second and two runners aboard in the third against Haghdan.
 
With junior righty Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY) summoned to protect Eastern's 1-0 lead after a leadoff single in the fifth spelled the end of  Matyasovsky's day on the mound, Tufts tied the game in the sixth on first baseman Casey Maggiore's two-out RBI single after Nicole Russo was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second.
 
After Eastern went down in order in the bottom of the sixth for the only time in the game – Van Meter striking out two --  Tufts scored what proved to be the winning run in the seventh without the aid of a hit when Eastern committed two errors.
 
Stoker (17-1) allowed only one earned run over the final three innings. She stranded a runner in scoring position with two infield ground balls to end the fifth, and got a fly ball to right to finish the sixth after Tufts had tied the game.
 
Defensively for Eastern, Remillard at second base, senior rightfielder Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington), junior leftfielder Laura Zenk (Hermon, ME) and Biel all submitted standout defensive plays to keep Tufts off the board until the late innings.
 
Remillard made a diving grab to her left to retire leadoff hitter Michelle Adelman on the first play of the game, Zenk snared a rope off the bat of Maggiore diving to her glove side with a runner on first and one out in the second, and Tyrrell made a back-handed catch from her knees on Adelman's drive in the right-center field gap with a runner on first for the first out of the third. In the seventh, Biel prevented further damage after Tufts had pushed across the go-ahead run by knocking down the ball and scrambling back to the bag to tag out Jose Steinberg trying to advance from second to end the inning.

Batting at the top of the lineup, Woods and Tyrrell each had two of Eastern's seven hits, with Vilchez reaching twice on a bunt single and walk.
 
In four tournament games, SanGiovanni and Woods each reached base nine times. SanGiovanni had five hits, four RBI and scored five runs, was hit three times and walked once and Woods had six hits and three RBI, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. SanGiovanni scored five runs. Matyasovsky had five hits, scored six runs and drove in four runs. Tyrrell also had five hits, scored three runs and drove in three runs.

While batting in the bottom of the third inning, SanGiovanni extended her program career record by getting hit for the 32nd time in the upper right arm on the first pitch from Haghdan. After being attended to at length while crumpled at home plate, SanGiovanni was helped from the field but returned to her position at shortstop to start the fourth and had two assists over the final four innings. She was later robbed of extra bases with one out in the fifth when Adelman gathered in her long drive with a catch on her knees in deep center field to keep Eastern's lead at 1-0.

In four tournament games, Stoker had a 2.78 ERA in 17 2/3 innings, striking out 12, walking 12, allowing 12 hits (all singles) and hitting two batters. She did not walk a batter against Tufts, hitting one.

In eight Little East Conference and NCAA tournament games, Remillard -- the only freshman starter -- batted.375 and handled 29 chances in the field without an error.
 
Eastern's opponents in the tournament committed ten errors, with four of the Warriors' seven errors coming against Tufts.

Matyasovsky's 15 home runs this year were one shy of the season record and her 48 RBI were two shy of the season mark, with SanGiovanni's 15 hit-by-pitch two shy of her own season record.

After hitting .422 in the regular season, Eastern hit .316 in six Little East Conference and NCAA tournament games,  .302 in four NCAA contests.