Box Score SALEM, Va. -- The unheralded but rock-solid defense of the No. 3 nationally ranked and third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University softball team abandoned the Warriors Saturday night, leading to four unearned runs in the first five innings as they were eliminated from the 2022 NCAA Division III national tournament by fifth-seeded Berry College, 6-4 at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.
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Eastern (44-7) entered the day without an error in its first eight NCAA games, but commited three infield errors in each elimination game Saturday. The errors in the first game were inconsequential in an 8-1 win over seventh-seeded Millikin University. The errors against Berry (36-12) were deadly, helping the Vikings move out to a 6-2 lead after four-and-a-half innings and dropping the Warriors from the tournament.
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Berry had upset fourth-seeded Texas Lutheran University in its opener Thursday but the Vikings fell into the losers' bracket with a 6-2 loss to nationally top-ranked and top-seeded Christopher Newport University earlier Saturday. Berry had only a few hours to re-group after the loss to CNU, but it did and will advance to play another elimination game Sunday after getting off the field against Eastern just before 1 a.m.
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Graduate All-America centerfielder
Cassie Woods's (Mystic) inning-opening single and senior leftfielder
Carley Stoker's (Sandy Creek, NY) two-out single had given Eastern an early lead in the first inning but the Vikings went ahead for good with two unearned runs on two hits and an error in the second. Berry made it 3-1 in the third with another unearned run  and a walk and error set up first-year All-America Anna Jackson's two-run home run -- her tenth of the year -- in a three-run fifth that allowed Berry to open up a 6-2 lead.
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Coming off only her second loss of the year earlier in the day, freshman Hannah Gore (17-2) came on in relief while the Warriors were scoring once in the fourth to pull to within 3-2. After senior catcher Carolyn Biel (Wallingford) singled in Stoker (leadoff single), Gore got a swinging strikeout and outfield fly ball to cut the rally short.
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Gore, who has struck out 117 batters in 108 innings this year, also got swinging strikeouts to leave runners on base in each of the final three innings.
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Trailing 6-2, Eastern put runners on the corners with two out in the fifth but Gore got another strikeout to end the inning. Biel lined into a double play after junior utility player
Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) had opened the sixth with a walk and Gore again ended the inning with a strikeout.
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Down four in the seventh, Eastern scored twice with two out on senior All-America
Brooke Matyasovsky's (Orange) two-run home run -- only the second homer allowed this year by Gore -- and had the tying run at the plate after senior All-America
Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) was, you guessed it, hit by a pitch, but Gore ended the Warriors' season with a three-pitch strikeout.
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Senior
Laura Zenk (Hermon, ME) had opened the seventh inning with a double, and with two out, Matyasovsky broke the season record with her 17th home run that extended her career record to 42nd. The HBP also extended SanGiovanni's season (23) and career (55) records in that department.
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Eastern ended the season by tying the program record for wins in a season and set records for hits, RBI, total bases and runs, with Matyasovsky's final homer tying the 2021 team's season mark of 41.
