May 13, 2006
Box Score
Hackensack, NJ - The Wagner Seahawks were eliminated from the Northeast Conference Tournament suffering an 11-0 loss at the hands of defending champ Robert Morris. The Seahawks now finish their season at 35-20, setting a school record for victories.
Sophomore Brenna Reed (Carnegie, PA/Montour) had four RBI courtesy of a grand slam for second-seeded Robert Morris, which advanced to the championship round for the second straight year with a win over No. 3 seed Wagner at FDU Softball Field. Senior Kali Byers (Alum Bank, PA/Chesnut Ridge) and freshman Brooke Panepinto (Belle Vernon, PA/Belle Vernon) each had two RBI for Robert Morris
The defending NEC champions will face Long Island at 5:30 pm. The two teams shared the regular season crown with a 17-3 mark. The Colonials will have to defeat the Blackbirds twice in order to claim the title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
RMU (26-18) batted around in the third, plating five runs. With one out, Lauren Nisivoccia (Nutley, NJ/Mount St. Dominic) reached on a wild pitch on strike three. Junior Jill Spargo (Warren, PA/Warren Regional) and Crystal Herman (Richmond British Columbia/Lake City CC) followed with singles on the left side.
Meyer - the next batter -connected on a 1-2 pitch, serving it to center field for a single that plated the game's first run. Byers followed by drawing a walk to plate Spargo and Herman scored on a Jill Dorsch (Sewickley, PA/North Allegheny) RBI single. The margin grew to 5-0 when Panepinto doubled to the fence in left center to plate two.
Herman led off the fifth with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Meyer. Byers drilled a double down the left field line for a 6-0 Colonials' margin. They made it 7-0 when Ashlee Smith (Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) followed with an RBI single to left. With the bases loaded, Reed helped her cause on the mound by delivering the crushing blow at the plate - a grand slam - to lift RMU to the win in the shortened game.
Reed fired a two-hit shut out in the circle, striking out five while walking one. Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV/Wooster) and Christy Sykora (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) accounted for the two hits by the Seahawks.
