Villanova University

May 11, 2001

Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Connecticut and Seton Hall advanced to the BIG EAST softball championship game with wins on the second day of the tournament. The Huskies move on with a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall. The Pirates earned their berth in the final with a win over Villanova (5-2).

In the first game of the day, No. 2 seed Villanova eliminated No. 1 seed Notre Dame with a 1-0 victory. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run by sophomore Sara Carlson over the left field fence. The outfielder tied the single-season school record for home runs (10). Sophomore hurler Theresa Hornick shut down the Irish offense, scattering five hits and striking out six in a complete game shutout. For Notre Dame, freshman Kristin Schmidt allowed five hits and fanned seven. It was the Wildcats' first victory over the Irish since 1996 and only the second win over ND all-time.

Villanova freshman Ricci Lugo was 2-for-2 in the game. Junior catcher Jarrah Myers collected two hits for the Notre Dame. Hornick improves to 18-2 on the season, while Schmidt suffers her second loss of the season (25-2). With the loss, Notre Dame drops to 51-5 on the season.

In the second game, Connecticut, seeded third, claimed their spot in the championship game with a win over No. 4 seed Seton Hall (3-1) in the winner's bracket. The Pirates got on the board in the third inning when senior Marlena Kotynski drove in rookie McKenzie RIchards, who singled. The Huskies rebounded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the third. Senior Jessica Yanosy crossed the plate on an error by the center fielder. Junior Lisa Girolamo knocked in Nicole Dubovik to give UConn the lead. Pinch runner Elisa Brinkworth capped off the scoring when she crossed the plate on Katie Kastranek's sacrifice fly. Connecticut pitcher Barb Cook held VU to three hits and struck out eight en route to the win.

Girolamo ripped three hits in as many at bats to lead the Huskies. Kotynski was the only SHU player with a multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 performance. With the win, Cook earns her 17th victory of the season (17-10), while SHU's Misty Beaver absorbed the loss to fall to 15-5. Connecticut improves to 34-21 in 2001.

In the nightcap, Seton Hall ended Villanova's title hopes with a 5-2 victory over the Wildcats. Junior Amy Mellin started the scoring in the second inning when she crossed the plate on an error by the first baseman. The Pirates scored two more runs in the frame when Kerry Kirk scored on a sacrifice fly and Tracy Myhren scored on a passed ball. SHU tacked on a pair of insurance runs via Kim Jackson's two-run double in the fifth inning. Villanova netted two runs in the sixth on Ricci Lugo's single and Heather Garboden's RBI groundout.

SHU senior Marlena Kotynski and VU senior Jackie Pasquerella had two hits each for their respective teams. Sophomore Christina Shanko improved to 12-8 on the season and Beaver collected her third save of the season. Sophomore Theresa Hornick was the losing pitcher for only the third time is season (18-3). With the win, Seton Hall ups its record to 29-13 on the season, while the loss drops Villanova to 43-10 this year.

The BIG EAST Softball Championship continues tomorrow at Noon when No. 3 seed Connecticut meets No. 4 seed Seton Hall for the conference crown.