Softball: Eagles Best Season Ends In ECAC Quarters at Brandeis
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Webster (23-20) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Brandeis (24-16) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | X | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| @ Waltham, Mass. | Marcus Field | ||||||||||
| Pitching |
|---|
| Win: Miller, Caroline (14-7) - Brandeis |
| Loss: Amanda Wilson (12-11) - Daniel Webster |
| Daniel Webster Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Chelsey Crawford |
| 3B: none |
| HR: none |
| Brandeis Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Miller, Caroline; DeNubila, Megan |
| 3B: none |
| HR: none |
WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis senior Caroline Miller (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.) struck out 11 and allowed just three hits over seven innings and drove in the eventual game-winning run with an early two-run double to lead the top-seeded Judges past No. 8 seed Daniel Webster College, 7-1, in the opening round of the 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Softball Championship Tournament.
With the win, Brandeis improves to 24-16 overall on the season and will host the rest of the tournament over the weekend. Daniel Webster's most successful season comes to a close with a 23-20 mark.
Miller (14-7) faced just four batters over the minimum and allowed bases runners in just two of seven frames. Miller set down the first 12 Eagle hitters in order, eight by way of strikeout. She finally allowed three straight hits in the fifth, then retired nine of the final 10 hitters, allowing just one seventh-inning walk.
Miller also drove in what proved to be the game-winning run as part of a four-run first inning. After Brandeis loaded the bases with one away against DWC senior Amanda Wilson (Merrimack, N.H.), rookie DP Anya Kamber (Sammamish, Wash.) opened the scoring with an RBI grounder to second base. Miller then followed with a double down the left-field line, her eighth of the season, to plate two more runs. Senior LF Megan DeNubila (Princeton, N.J.) followed suit with a two-bagger to right-center.
Wilson (12-11) settled down for Daniel Webster after the first, allowing just one hit over the next three innings.
The Eagles did their damage against Miller in the top of the fifth, stringing together three straight hits. Junior CF Chelsey Crawford (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) doubled to left-center for the visitors' first hit of the game. Junior 1B Samantha Hill (Hudson, N.H./Alvirne) singled to put runners on the corners, while rookie RF Heather Strong (Palmer, Mass./Palmer) bounced one through the right side to spoil the shutout bid. Miller then retired the next three batters to minimize the damage.
Brandeis got that run back in the bottom of the fifth on DeNubila's second RBI of the game, making it 5-1. The Judges added two more runs in the sixth on a single by senior 3B Brittany Grimm (Perkiomenville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) and sacrifice fly by senior CF Lauren Porcaro (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) to make for the 7-1 final.
In addition to Miller's big day, Grimm finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
