WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (May 1, 2019)  – The top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology softball team will take on Nazareth College in their first game of the Empire 8 Conference Softball Championship Tournament on Friday, May 3 at 3:30 P.M. at Weehawken Waterfront Park.  

The Ducks earned the right to host the conference tournament after splitting their final conference doubleheader of the season with St. John Fisher College on Sunday, April 28 in Rochester, New York. Stevens and the Cardinals tied for Regular Season Champions, marking the first time in program history that the Ducks claimed this title. 

Live Stats | Video | Weehawken Waterfront Park | Empire 8 Championship Central | Micro Site

History
This season marks the seventh E8 tournament appearance and third consecutive since the softball program was established in 2010. The Ducks won their first postseason game in 2017 against Nazareth before bowing out of the tournament to Ithaca College. Overall, Stevens in 1-12 in postseason action, but the team hopes to build their win column over the upcoming weekend. 

Well-Rounded Squad
The deep roster that the Ducks boast allows for multiple players to contribute to the success of the team. The pitching duo of seniors Christine LaRochelle and Marissa Cappello combine for 189 strikeouts on the year while they both hold batters to a batting average under .300. 

Junior Samantha Schattin and freshman Meg Halloran combine for 93 hits and 22 stolen bases, posing a threat both in the batter's box and on the base paths. Senior Katie Tirabassi leads the Ducks in RBI, bringing in 28 runs thus far. The Freehold, New Jersey native also leads in homers, sending four over the fence. Sophomores Madison Gemma and Siobhan Cottell follow with two home runs apiece. Cottell collected her two homers in the last two doubleheader for the Ducks as her bat started to come alive. 

Junior catcher Melissa Alfonso ranks second in the conference as she's caught eight runners stealing. The Point Pleasant, New Jersey native can also get it done on offense as she posts a .372 batting average. Utility woman Gina DeOliveira adds 11 RBI and 12 runs scored for the Ducks while boasting a 1.000 fielding percentage at her various infield positions. 

Scouting Nazareth
Nazareth earned the four seed and a playoff berth after splitting a doubleheader with Utica College on Monday, April 29. It is just the third tournament appearance for the Golden Flyers and the first since 2017. 

Gabriella Corasaniti leads Nazareth with 40 strikeouts in the circle while Maddie Funk leads with her 3.02 ERA. Marissa Tortora ranks fifth in the conference and first for the Golden Flyers with her 45 hits on the year. Sarah Simmons leads with her .404 batting average and 30 RBI, finishing third in the conference in both categories.

Scouting Alfred
The Saxons enter the tournament as the #3 seed for their 11th playoff berth in 12 years. Alfred holds a 13-19 postseason record over their past 10 tournament appearances. 

Ashley Lugo leads the conference with her 20 stolen bases on the year and has only been caught stealing twice. Alyssa Guitron leads the Saxons at the plate with a batting average of .330 and 35 hits. Jillian Murray adds a team-best 16 RBI to round out the Alfred offense. 

In the circle, Jessica Wilcox leads the Saxons with 128 strikeouts to tie Cappello for first in the conference. Wilcox enters the tournament with a 2.03 ERA and a record of 15-8.

Scouting St. John Fisher
The Cardinals enter the tournament as the two seed and the co-champions of the regular season. This will be the 18th postseason appearance for Fisher, who only missed the the 2014 playoffs. Over the years, the Cardinals culminated a 39-25 tournament record. 

Ashley Prince leads Fisher with 47 hits while ranking second in the conference in doubles with 14. The 2018 Rookie of the Year Sammie Torlish boasts a batting average of .410 to finish second in the E8. Sarah Kubik leads the Cardinals with a .634 slugging percentage with her team-high 34 RBI. 

Emily Trotman enters the playoffs with a conference-best 19 wins in the circle. The pitcher has struck out 79 batters and posts a 2.39 ERA. 

Fan Bus
If you're interested in taking the fan bus to the Ducks' 3:30 P.M. game on Friday, May 3, email Noreen Mulledy at nmulledy@stevens.edu to reserve your seat. The bus will leave from the circle in front of Jonas Hall at 2:45 P.M. At the field, free t-shirts will be given away to the first 200 fans. 

Schedule
Friday, May 3
Game 1 - #2 St. John Fisher vs. #3 Alfred at 1 P.M.
Game 2 - #1 Stevens vs. #4 Nazareth at 3:30 P.M.

Saturday, May 4
Game 3 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at 11 A.M.
Game 4 - Loser of Game  1 vs. Loser of Game 2 at 1:30 P.M.
Game 5 - Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 at 4 P.M.

Sunday, May 5
Game 6 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 at 11 A.M.
Game 7 (if necessary) - Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 at 1:30 P.M.

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