ANNVILLE, Pa. - Led by a career-high five RBIs from freshman Molly Hoyt (Parisppany, N.J./Parisppany Hills), the Stevenson softball team advanced to their first conference championship series with a 13-6 quarterfinal victory over Hood and a 4-3 nine-inning win over Alvernia in the semifinals Saturday at Lebanon Valley.
The Mustangs (22-20), who are one win shy of tying the school record for wins with 23, posted their second nine-inning victory in as many days and their fourth of the season. The team is now 4-1 in extra-inning games this season.
The 2010 team set the school record for wins with a 23-16 record.
Stevenson is the lowest seed to ever advance to the Commonwealth Conference title series in this the first year that the tournament expanded to five teams. Prior to this year, Messiah was the lowest seed to ever make it, advancing as a No. 4 seed in 2007.
In the quarterfinals, the Mustangs opened the game with four-straight hits en route to a five-run inning. With the bases loaded, Hoyt hit a two-run single to center before freshman Courtney Cook (Edgewood, Md./Harford Tech) added another RBI. Stevenson added two more unearned runs in the inning, both coming on a fielding error.
The Mustangs added three more runs in the second inning, including two on back-to-back RBIs down the left field line by Hoyt and junior Kristen Fassler (Owings Mills, Md./Western Tech).
The Blazers (23-18) scored three fourth-inning runs to cut their deficit to 9-5, but Stevenson responded with three runs of their own to push the lead to seven.
Hoyt finished 4-for-5 with three runs while freshman Kristen Mueller (Bel Air, Md./Harford Tech) was 4-for-5 with four runs and sophomore Stephanie Ayres (Upper Marlboro, Md./Bishop McNamara) was 3-for-5 with three runs.
Freshman Stephanie Shupe (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes) earned the victory in the circle, allowing just three hits and two earned runs over 4.0 innings.
In the semifinals, Stevenson scored three consecutive runs to go ahead 3-0 in the top of the third, highlighted by Fassler's first home run of the season and fourth of her career. Mueller also added her sixth triple of the season to score freshman Tiffany Kahl (Glen Burnie, Md./Seton Keough).
The Knights (34-9) answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 3-3 and neither team would score again until the top of the ninth when Ayres hit a bases loaded single to center, scoring Kaitlyn Seger (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) unearned for the game-winning run.
Seger finished 3-for-4 while Hoyt earned the victory in the cirlce after not allowing a run or hit over 3.0 innings.
The Mustangs totaled 25 hits on the day and having totaled 10 or more runs in 11 games this season. They held Alvernia to just three runs after allowing 16 to the Knights in their doubleheader loss on March 17.
Stevenson will face Lebanon Valley for the Commonwealth Conference title on Sunday, May 5 beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Mustangs, who dropped two 1-0 decisions to the Dutchmen, must win twice in the double elimination tournament to take the title.
