Athenas Win SCIAC Tournament Second Year in a Row! Head to the NCAA Tournament Fifth Year in a Row!

The CMS Softball team won the SCIAC Tournament Title for the second year in a row Saturday with a conclusive 13-2 run-rule victory over the University of Redlands.

The young CMS team entered the tournament having finished the regular season leading SCIAC in:

• Runs scored
• Batting Average
• On-Base Percentage
• Slugging Percentage
• Most Walks Drawn
• Fewest Strikeouts Committed
• Most Stolen Bases
• Fewest Runs Given Up
• Fewest Walks Allowed
• Best Fielding Percentage

Tournament play affirmed these stats from top to bottom.   In a clean 3-0 sweep, the squad beat each team in the tournament.  Over 18.5 innings of play, CMS:

• Outscored opponents 19-2
• Outhit opponents 29-17
• Outpaced opponents in doubles 6-1
• Out slugged opponents  .432 - .240
• Bettered opponents' on-base percentage   .416 - .247
• Bettered opponents defensively committing one error to opponents' 4, a fielding percentage of .988 to .948
• Outpitched opponents amassing a 0.00 ERA versus opponents' 6.18 ERA.

Pitcher Hayley Schultz led the Athenas throwing back-to-back shut-outs on day one versus Chapman University and the University of La Verne.  In the championship game Saturday, she beat the University of Redlands 13-2 in five innings of work.  The Bulldogs scored twice, both unearned, in the top of the first.  They would not cross the plate the rest of the day.

 In 19 innings pitched during the weekend, Schultz' ERA was 0.00, scattering 17 hits, striking out 8, walking 2 and holding opposing batters to a .227 average. 

At the plate, eight players on the team had a multi-hit weekend.  In the championship game against Redlands, six players recorded two hits or more during a 16 hit onslaught in four offensive halves. 

Harmony Palmer led all hitters going .667 on the weekend with a .667 on-base percentage.  Mikayla O'Neal and Marie Bradvica were both clutch driving in 6 and 5 runs respectively during the three day spree. 

Freshmen Janelle Shiozaki and Katie Savard contributed significantly going .556 and .375 each.  And table setter Tara Robinson led all scorers with four runs on the weekend.  Junior Megan Latta kicked off a 5-run rally with a clutch, gap double when CMS was down 2-0 in the championship game. 

Morgan Beltz caught all three games for Schultz, providing a steady presence behind the dish for CMS.  Latta executed several defensive show-stoppers at short.  In game one, she fielded a ground ball that bounced across second.  What appeared to be a clean base hit that would have extended the game instead became the 21st out as Latta came behind the bag, threw on the run and ended the contest. Starting where she left off, Latta started game two backhanding a ball deep in the hole, and rifling it to first to beat a ULV's speedy leadoff batter.

Mikayla O'Neal added her own web-gem catching a foul ball with one hand on the dug-out fence as a towering shot almost skimmed the chain link before landing in her glove.  Shiozaki also made several plays in rightfield showcasing her speed and reads in the outfield. 

Pitching, defensive execution, and consistent, clutch hitting proved too much during the tournament and send the Athenas (32-11) into the NCAA Tournament with confidence and excitement. 

Guaranteed a bid via the automatic qualification, the team will learn where their First Round site is Monday, May 6^th during the live web-cast of the Selection Show at 10am EST.  http://www.ncaa.com/championships/softball/d3 

Where ever they go, the team looks forward to the playoff atmosphere and competing for the 2013 national championship.