NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The York College softball squad dropped their opening round NCAA Tournament game against #10 Christopher Newport, 8-3, on Thursday afternoon in Newport News, Virginia.
The Captains advance to face Roanoke in the winner's bracket on Friday at noon. The Spartans face Misericordia in an elimination game Friday afternoon at 2:30.
The loss snaps the Spartans five game winning streak as they are now 11-2 in their last 13 games.
 
NCAA Newport News Regional – Game Two
Records: York 23-20; #10 Christopher Newport 27-10
Runs: York 3; Christopher Newport 8
Hits: York 5; Christopher Newport 8
Errors: York 1; Christopher Newport 0
WP: Jamie Martin (10-4); LP: Natalie Rietema (10-10)
 
How It Happened
• The Captains struck early in the bottom of the first as Bianca Palmer-Scott drew a five-pitch lead-off walk. After Palmer-Scott stole second, Nicole Apai drew a second walk in the inning. A sacrifice bunt moved each Captain up 60 feet to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Brooke Greaver hit a sharp ground ball to short. Spartan shortstop Alyssa Harhigh made a good throw home but Palmer-Scott beat the throw to the plate for the game's opening run. Spartan starter Natalie Rietema got a ground out and a strikeout to prevent any further damage.
• With the lead, Jamie Martin was cruising in the circle for the Spartans. She allowed a first inning single to Morgan Sauers and the retired the next 15 Spartans she faced until Gretchen Barstad singled in the sixth.
• The Captains added a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth and it started with a one-out walk to Kensley Hess. Hess stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. After a lengthy at-bat by Kendall Bentley, Hess scored when Bentley drove a double to left to make it 2-0. Abby Rochette then had a fortunate occurrence as she bunted but it was ruled she hit the ball in the box. Two pitches later she hit a bomb to left center for the 4-0 Captains lead.
• The Captains tacked on a single run as Brooke Childress had an RBI single to right center, giving CNU the 5-0 lead.
• The Spartans had a three-run uprising in the top of the sixth inning. Barstad singled to left with one out. After another strikeout, Martin's 11^th of the day, Sauers doubled down the right field line to move Barstad to third. Alyssa Harhigh ripped a double inside the third base line to get York on the board as Barstad and Sauers scored. Harhigh then alertly scored from second on a Daphney Adams infield single, cutting the CNU lead to 5-3.
• All that work went by the wayside as Rochette hit her second two-run bomb of the game, putting CNU back up by four. The Captains added an eighth run as Katie Curran singled, moved to second on a bunt and scored on a double from Apai, pushing the lead back to five.
• Martin finished the game striking out 11 in picking up her 10^th win of the year in her six innings of work. The 11 punch outs are her second highest total of the year (12 vs. Mary Washington on May 11).
 
Spartan Leaders
Morgan Sauers: 2-for-3, 2B, run
Gretchen Barstad: 1-for-2, run
Alyssa Harhigh: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI
Daphney Adams: 1-for-3, RBI
 
Spartan Pitching
Natalie Rietema: 3.1 IP, 3 hits, 4 ER, 1 K, 3 BB
Amanda Criss: 2.2 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 1 K, 2 BB
 
Spartan Notes
York falls to 4-14 all-time against the Captains … the meeting is the first in the NCAA Tournament between the two programs … York and CNU only met once previously in the post season as the Captains downed York in the 2014 Capital Athletic Conference tournament … York is now 3-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament … the Spartans have lost their last two NCAA Tournament openers (vs. St. John Fisher in 2021) … The Spartans walked five Captains and four of those walks came around to score … sophomore Morgan Sauers recorded her 13^th multi-hit game as she was 2-for-3 with a run scored … Alyssa Harhigh had her team-leading eighth multiple RBI game of the year with her two-run double in the sixth … Harhigh's two RBI give her 150 for her career … she now has 28 more than any other Spartan in school history … catcher Daphney Adams threw out another runner attempted to steal a base as she extends her school record to 34 runners nabbed in her career.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will face their six post-season elimination game when they square off against Misericordia on Friday at 2:30 pm. The Spartans have won their last five elimination games in the MAC Commonwealth championships. York is 2-1 in their last three NCAA Tournament elimination games.