Softball Season Ends with 39-3 Record in Regional Semis

BETHLEHEM, PA -- One swing away.  All afternoon it felt like the Owls were one swing away from keeping their season alive.

Westfield State softball's record-setting 39-win season came to an end on Friday afternoon with a 2-0 loss to Cortland State in a NCAA Regional Semifinal elimination game at Blue and Grey Field at Moravian College.

Westfield ends its sensational season with a 39-3 record, while Cortland (27-16) advances to the regional championship round against Moravian College tomorrow at 11 am.   Cortland enters the round with one loss in the tournament, while the Greyhounds are unbeaten in the tournament and can win the title with one win, while Cortland must win two games.

"If you told us, these two senior captains, if you would have told me this was going to be our final game, in this state, I'd have said sign me up for it all day," said Westfield State head coach Joe Hough.

"Every single thing has been unprecedented for our program, and every single thing has been a learning experience," added Hough.  "It took us getting to the regionals to get two of our three losses.   This has been a great experience and we are going to take from this for our program … and next time we are here we are going to be better at it."

Cortland did all of its damage in the third inning when Sam Puloskie drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout    Katie Stork hit a hot smash to third base that Alyssa Slack picked on one hop, held the runner and threw out Stork, but Red Dragons' #3 hitter Kayla Santo lined a two-run home run to left field for the only runs of the game.

Westfield had it's chances, putting runners aboard in five of seven innings.  In the first, Rylie Camacho singled to lead off the game, and Sarah Hough followed with a drive to center field that died in the gusty crosswinds on a damp afternoon.

  In the second, Caroline O'Donnell chopped into a fielders choice where Mia Alfonso was thrown out on a bang-bang play at second base to end the inning.    In the fifth, Kassidy LaTour led off with a single, but died at second when O'Donnell hit a screamer back to the pitcher that turned into an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.

In the sixth, Lyla Dwyer singled to short to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and took third with aggressive baserunning on a foul out down the first base side.    Hough smoked a ball to the shortstop Kaeli McAnnally's back hand side, and her throw sailed high, but Cortland's Shannon Scotto swept a tag and Hough was called out at first to end the threat.

Westfield put the leadoff runner aboard in the top of the seventh, when Hannah Wodecki reached on an error, but the Owls were retired 1-2-3 from there to end the game.

"We put everything out there, we didn't hit that much," said Alfonso.

"If you asked me at the beginning of the year, winning MASCACs and coming here to Pennsylvania it wouldn't have been in the cards, she added. " Just coming down here and winning the first one and playing close ones …. "we just needed six or seven more hits," coach Hough finished the sentence for her.

Camacho and Wodecki were both named to the all tournament teams for their efforts on the weekend.

Westfield starter and MASCAC pitcher of the year Angelina Vartuli took the hard-luck loss, her only of the season, pitching six innings while allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out out one.

Cortland starting pitcher Gianna Endeveri, who the Owls beat in the tournament opener got the win to improve to 12-8 on the year.    She held the Owls to four hits and struck out five while walking none on the day.     After giving up two-first inning home runs to the Owls on Thursday, Endieveri held the Owls scoreless for 13 straight innings.

Laila Smith was 2-3 for the Red Dragons, with Santo 1-3 with two rbi.

LaTour's base hit was the 100^th of her career as an Owl.

Westfield entered the weekend ranked third in the nation in runs scored at nearly nine per game, but found just three runs in 20 innings in the three tournament games.

With the bittersweet ending to the season, the Owls wrap up with the most wins in program history, the highest-ever ranking for the Owls in the NFCA poll, and the first NCAA Tourney appearance in 43 years.

Westfield has won progressively more games in each of coach Joe Hough's four seasons at the helm of the program with 24, 28, 32 and now 39.

The loss also wraps up the careers of a senior class that included Sarah Hough, Alfonso, Wodecki, Ella Malanson and Mackenzie Mike.

Sarah Hough said the experience was "just special.  Every year gets a little better. The girls are just amazing every year, and I wouldn't want to spend it anywhere else."

"Obviously the competition is great, and the teams we are facing are one of the top 64 in the nation, and we keep reminding ourselves there are 400 other teams that are watching us …  we saw great pitching and it gives us some things to work on."

"I have been very lucky to have these two (captains)," said Joe Hough. "Obviously with one of them iI have been able to take my daughter to work every day, but mia has been like a daughter to me since she was young, and I got to hang out with these two knuckleheads every day and its been a great ride."

"There is no sadness in our tent right now, because this where our season ended, it has been great for this program."