University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Washington (NCAA Regional)
Washington Downs UMass Softball Team, 7-1, In NCAA Tournament
May 20, 2001 | Softball
May 20, 2001
NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 2 seed University of Washington beat the No. 4 seed University of Massachusetts, 7-1, today at the NCAA Women's Softball Regional #5 held at the University of Oklahoma Softball Complex. The loss eliminates the Minutewomen from the regional and ends their season at 44-13. Washington (40-22) advances to play the top seed University of Oklahoma later today for a chance to play in the Women's College World Series.
After leaving the bases loaded in the top of the first, UMass got on the board in the second when a hard hit ball by shortstop Emily Robustelli (Stamford, Conn.) went through Washington short stop Jaime Clark's legs to score pinch runner KC Budrewicz (Buckland, Mass.). Budrewicz, pinch running for catcher Jamie Cahalan (Mesa, Ariz.) who reached first on a fielders choice, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout by right fielder Anna Perey (Chino Valley, Ariz.).
After retiring the side in the first, UMass starter Jen Hadley (Bristol, Conn.) gave up five straight hits in the second, including back-to-back two RBI doubles by second baseman Christie Rosenblad and designated player Courtney Jeffries to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead.
Clark hit a RBI double in the fifth to plate Washington's fifth run of the game and scored the sixth run herself off a sacrifice fly by third baseman Kim DePaul. DePaul drove in the Huskies final run of the game with a double to right in the sixth.
Clark, Jeffries and first baseman Amanda Oleson all had three hits for UW, which outhit UMass 15-3 in the game. Second baseman Ashley Bakken (Phoenix, Ariz.), first baseman Brandi Cross (Diamond Bar, Calif.) and third baseman Cherra Wheeler (Kingsburg, Calif.) had the hits for UMass.
Hadley allowed seven runs off 15 hits and struck out three to finish her junior campaign 19-7. Washington starter Tia Bollinger (36-7) gave up the one UMass run off three hits, struck out two and walked one in five innings of work. After the second inning, she held the Minutewomen off the basebaths retiring the next nine UMass batters she faced. Reliever Shannon Walsh retired all six Minutewomen she faced in the final two innings.
Massachusetts' 44 wins on the season rank as the second-most in school history behind a 45-win campaign in 1998 and marked the third time in the past four seasons and the fourth time in the program's 28-year history it reached the 40-win plateau.
