Softball's Season Comes to Close as Stony Brook Takes Two in AE Championship
Photo: Annie Johnson (above) was named to the All-America East Tournament Team. She stole three bags and went 6-for-7 at the plate in the conference championship.
FINAL 2013 STATS
VESTAL, N.Y. – The top seeded University at Albany softball team dropped two against No. 4 seeded Stony Brook in the America East Championship game – concluding their 2013 season. UAlbany (37-15) finished with the second most wins in school history. The Seawolves will advance to the NCAA Tournament on an automatic berth.
Freshman Annie Johnson highlighted the championship. She went 6-for-7 at the plate with a homer and three stolen bases. She finished the season with a conference-high 44 steals. Johnson along with junior Lauren Alcorn and junior Brittany MacFawn were selected to the All-America East Tournament Team.
In game one, Stony Brook (35-23) put together back-to-back four run innings to force a deciding conference title game, winning 8-2. It was sophomore Shayla Giosia's grand slam in fifth that shifted the momentum.
The Great Danes put together the first run of the game off the bat of Alcorn. The third basemen ripped an infield single to start the top of the second. Two Seawolves throwing errors advanced her around the bases as she gave UAlbany a 1-0 lead. The Great Danes added to their lead in the third as Johnson hit a solo shot over the left center fence. It was her third homer of the season.
With the bases loaded and two-out in the fifth, Stony Brook took the lead, 4-2, off Giosia's grand slam over the left center fence. A fielding error on UAlbany caused all runs to go unearned. Stony Brook tacked on four more in the sixth innings – highlighted by a two-run RBI double by freshman Alexandra Pisciotta.
Sophomore Allison Cukrov recorded the win. She went seven innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, three walks and striking out three. MacFawn took the loss. She went the complete game allowing 11 hits, four earned runs, walking zero and striking out four. It was the junior's first defeat of the tournament.
The Great Danes left seven runners on-base over the first three innings of game two. This included two bases loaded opportunities. In total, they left 11 runners on without bringing home a run on the way to a 2-0 loss.
Stony Brook found the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. The inning opened up with Seawolves' runners on second and third with no-out. MacFawn, who came back to start again for UAlbany, nearly escaped the trouble. It was a two-out, two RBI double by freshman Kellie Reynolds that opened up the scoring and a 2-0 lead.
The Great Danes continued to put runners on the basepaths, but failed to score. Johnson led off the seventh with her sixth hit of the championship. Freshman Maggie Cocks followed with a single up the middle. UAlbany had two-on with no-out. However, the title game would come to a close as the Purple and Gold left both on-base.
MacFawn (28-9) pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs and seven hits. She struck out three. Cukrov (15-14) recorded her second win. She went the complete game, allowing six hits, four walks and striking out three. MacFawn broke the single-season and conference record for wins. She also broke the single-season program record for inning's pitched and strikeouts.
The Great Danes will lose three players next season due to graduation. These include catchers Kylie Apostolina and Lindsey Stout along with outfielder Taylor Franich.
