(Crestview Hills, Ky.) – The Dickinson softball team advanced in the NCAA Regional at Thomas More University, posting an 8-2 win over Wilson College in an elimination game on Saturday. The Red Devils earned a rematch with SUNY Geneseo, but the Knights would claim a 6-2 decision to earn the spot in the final against Thomas More.
The Red Devils had a great start against Wilson. First-year Hannah Seburn (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) singled and came in to score on a two-run homer from Marissa Fabbo (Wilbraham, Mass./Wilbraham & Munson) to put the Red Devils on the board in the bottom of the second inning.
Senior Madison Milaszewski (Rutland, Mass./Sutton) was dialed in, striking out six straight batters in the second and third innings, including three looking in the third.
Brigitte Gutpelet (Norristown, Pa./Penn Charter) led-off the bottom of the third with her second single of the game and stole second.
Kat Parise (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) drew a walk and Julie Siecinski (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens) singled to score Gutpelet after almost launching a three-run dinger that went just left of the foul pole.
Paige Hahn (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) was hit by a pitch and Seburn followed up with a two-run single to stretch the lead to 5-0. An error on a pick-off attempt allowed Hahn to come across to give Dickinson a 6-0 advantage at the end of the third.
Wilson answered with two runs in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 6-2.
Junior Alissa Lema (Lutherville, Md./Towson) singled in the fourth and made a nice catch in right field to start the top of the fifth.
The Red Devils added another run in the fifth as Maggie McConney (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) singled to set up an RBI double as Seburn drove one to the wall, scoring pinch-runner Natalie Krzywiec (North Hunterdon, Pa/Norwin) for a 7-2 advantage.
Lema, Gutpelet and Parise all singled in the sixth and Gutpelet scored on a sacrifice fly from McConney.
Kat Vill (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) came on in relief in the top of the sixth and closed out the game with a solid performance in the circle. Milaszewski finished with eight strikeouts, allowing just two hits and one earned run to earn the win.
Seburn went 3-for-3 with three RBI while Gutpelet went 3-for-3 and scored twice to go with Fabbo's two-run homer. Lema was 2-for-3 as the Red Devils combined for 12 hits in the game.
The Red Devils had to quickly regroup and face-off with Geneseo in the final game of the afternoon. The Knights put one on the board in the second, scoring an unearned run to lead 1-0.
Ashley Kersc hit a solo homerun to lead off the third inning Geneseo pushed across four more in the inning to pull in front 6-0.
Dickinson answered in the fourth as McConney singled and Kristen Acocella (Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow) doubled and both came in to score as Seburn reached on an error to produce two runs for the Red Devils.
Siecinski singled in the sixth and McConney put one to the warning track but the Knights were able to make the play. The Knights held in the seventh as they move on to the championship series on Sunday.
Killian Kueny (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) allowed just three hits in the start. Milaszewski came on to record five strikeouts in a three-hit effort. Seburn added two more RBI on the day.
The Red Devils finish the season 25-17 overall, capturing the second Centennial Conference Championship in program history.