Box Score ANNVILLE, Pa. – The second-seeded and 24^th-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University softball team awakened from a five-inning slumber to rally over the final two innings, falling a key hit or two shy of completing a late comeback in a 5-3 loss to top-seeded and 15^th-ranked University of Rochester in a winners' bracket game on the second day of the 2023 NCAA Division III Annville, Pa. Regional tournament Friday at LVC Softball Park.
 
Shut down over the first five innings by first-team Liberty League freshman right-handed pitcher Molly Broccolo (19-2), Eastern rallied in the final two innings before leaving the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning and dropping into an elimination bracket game Friday at 5 p.m. against third-seeded host Lebanon Valley College (33-10), which remained alive Friday afternoon with a 6-2 win over fourth-seeded Eastern Nazarent College (22-21). Trailing 6-0 entering the seventh, Eastern Nazarene scored twice and had the tying run at bat before a strikeout ended the game.
In Thursday's opening round, Eastern (29-11) defeated Lebanon Valley, 4-1, and Rochester (38-7) shut out Eastern Nazarene, 8-0, in six innings.
 
The Eastern-Lebanon Valley. winner must defeat Rochester twice beginning at noon Saturday to win the regional and advances to next weekend's best-of-three Super Regional.
 
Limited to one hit through the first five innings by Broccolo, Eastern loaded the bases in both the sixth and seventh innings but a baserunning blunder in both innings did little to enhance its comeback bid.
 
With one out and the bases loaded in the sixth and Eastern trailing 4-0, Rochester turned a strikeout into an inning-ending double play when an Eastern baserunner was eventually tagged out between third and home after a long rundown (the play involving five different Rochester fielders) after the ball got loose from Yellow Jacket catcher Hunter Gilbreath on the strikeout.
 
Trailing 5-0 in the top of the seventh, Eastern batted around, stringing together four of its game total of six hits along with three walks, a wild pitch and outfield error and had the go-ahead run on base before Rochester third baseman Madi Turner fielding a hard smash off the bat of sophomore DP Victoria Heaphy (East Haven) that gave the three-time defending Liberty League champions their 35^th win in their last 37 games and evened the all-time NCAA tournament series between the two programs at one win apiece.
 
The first four batters of the seventh inning reached safely for Eastern, with sophomore Ally Gruca (Lancaster, MA) doubling in the first run, a wild pitch plating senior Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY) with the second  and senior pitcher Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) making it 5-3 with a single to center. As part of that rally, however, a baserunner was thrown out attempting to advance from second to third base for the first out while senior Taylor Darby (South Windsor) was scoring the first run of the inning.
 
With the tying runs aboard and two out in the seventh, senior No. 3 hitter Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) – who had driven in three runs with two home runs Thursday -- was hit by a pitch for the 73^rd time in her career to load the bases before Heaphy  grounded sharply to Turner at third on the first pitch she saw from Broccolo to end the game.
 
No Eastern hitter had more than one hit. Junior leadoff hitter Sarah Remillard (Grafton, MA) extended her on-base streak to 24 when she reached three times on an infield single and two walks, and Darby hit safely in her 16^th straight game with her leadoff single in the seventh.
 
Bailey Nicholoff and Jenna Gorecki – batting 2-3 in the order – each had two of Rochester's nine hits and each drove in a run. Ranked among the national leaders in stolen bases, Rochester stole five bags, with leadoff hitter Ally Kim swiping one in each of the first two innings to give her 47 on the season.
 
Vilchez (12-4) and Stoker combined on the mound for Eastern, walking only one batter between them. The pair allowed only two runs after the first inning, where the Yellow Jackets scored three times on three singles (two never leaving the infield) and Turner's RBI ground rule double.