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NCAA News Archive - 2005
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A first-team all-America pitcher and a powerful hitting lineup is a good recipe for success in softball.
Lynn had both of those factors going for it all season, and they eventually led to the program's first Division II national softball championship.
With pitcher Aimee Murch delivering an 11-strikeout performance and home runs by Rachel Foster, Christina Rolla and Tiffani King, Lynn was able to defeat Kennesaw State, 5-3, in the final of the Division II Softball Championship May 23 in Salem, Virginia.
The Fighting Knights made it through the double-elimination bracket unscathed, including a 1-0 victory over previously undefeated Northern Kentucky May 22. It was a historic victory because Lynn snapped Northern Kentucky's NCAA-record 55-game win streak in the process.
Murch was 4-0 in the tournament and 39-3 during a dominant season in which she garnered top pitching honors nationally. Her 0.98 earned-run average in the tournament also earned her most-outstanding-player recognition.
"I've never won anything really," Murch said. "It's great."
In the final, Lynn jumped to a 2-0 lead when Foster hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the second inning. Foster wouldn't have batted were it not for a Kennesaw State error that extended the inning.
After taking the game's initial lead, Murch sent a strong message by striking out the first seven batters she faced. Kennesaw State's Courtney Matiak gave her club some confidence by reaching on a bunt single in the bottom of the third.
The Owls cut the lead by half in the next inning when Jennifer Nolan tripled in a run, the first allowed by Murch in the tournament.
The margin remained at one run until the top of the sixth when Rolla and King connected for back-to-back homers off Kennesaw State starter Brittany Matthews.
Rolla's home run was her 25th of the season, the second most in a single season for a Division II softball player.
King's homer gave Lynn 88 home runs on the season, also the second most in Division II history.
"Coach (Thomas Macera) taught us how to be more selective at the plate," King said. "I went up there thinking I was going to hit the first good pitch I saw."
Kennesaw State showed some fight in the sixth when Keri McKee hit a two-run homer off Murch to cut the lead to 4-3. It was McKee's 14th homer and 81st run batted in -- both program and Peach Belt Conference single-season records.
Lynn added an unearned run in the seventh, and Murch was able to register the final three outs to secure the title.
"We played as hard as we could," said Kennesaw State coach Scott Whitlock, whose team earned the final spot by eliminating Northern Kentucky, 6-0, on May 22. "We were prepared emotionally. Murch is good, real good. Three runs is a lot off a pitcher like her."
"I can't tell you how proud I am," Macera said. "I'm not easy to play for. I expect the best. I thank my team for working hard for me. I asked a lot of them."
Game No. 1
| Concordia-St. Paul | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Bloomsburg | 003 | 000 | x -- 3 | 5 | 2 |
Kristen Schmidt and Kristin Linell; Amanda Smith and Alyson Taylor. W -- Smith. L -- Schmidt.
Game No. 2
| San Fran. St. | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Lynn | 000 | 050 | x -- 5 | 10 | 0 |
Sonja Garnett, Holly Pearce (5) and Mary Cunnie; Aimee Murch and Danielle Fanucchi. W -- Murch. L -- Garnett.
Game No. 3
| Northern Ky. | 001 | 000 | 1 -- 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Le Moyne | 001 | 000 | 0 -- 1 | 5 | 0 |
Sarah Reed and Kim Kalec; Krystal Lewallen and Megan Owens. W -- Reed. L -- Lewallen.
Game No. 4
| St. Mary's (Tex.) | 021 | 502 | 1 -- 11 | 15 | 3 |
| Kennesaw St. | 200 | 031 | 0 -- 6 | 9 | 0 |
Malissa Magee, Brittany Brown (6) and Elizabeth Beyer; Janet Kearns, Lisa Lamb (6) and Cambria McKay. W -- Magee. L -- Kearns.
Game No. 5
| San Fran. St. | 011 | 000 | 1 -- 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Concordia-St. Paul | 000 | 001 | 1 -- 2 | 6 | 1 |
Holly Pearce and Holly Cunnie; Kristen Schmidt, Allison Paitich (7) and Kristin Lanell. W - Pearce. L - Schmidt.
Game No. 6
| Le Moyne | 000 | 000 | 0 - 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Kennesaw St. | 023 | 001 | x - 6 | 8 | 1 |
Erin Phaneuf, Sarah Reed (3), Martha Senko (6) and Kim Kalec; Brittany Matthews and Cambria McKay. W -- Matthews. L -- Phaneuf.
Game No. 7
| Bloomsburg | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Lynn | 000 | 030 | x -- 3 | 7 | 0 |
Amanda Smith, Jaime Wilson (6) and Alyson Taylor; Aimee Murch and Danielle Fanucchi. W -- Murch. L -- Smith.
Game No. 8
| St. Mary's (Tex.) | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Northern Ky. | 000 | 030 | x -- 3 | 4 | 0 |
Brittany Brown and Elizabeth Beyer; Krystal Lewallen and Megan Owens. W -- Lewallen. L -- Brown.
Game No. 9
| Bloomsburg | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Kennesaw St. | 000 | 200 | 0 -- 2 | 5 | 2 |
Amanda Smith, Jamie Wilson (4) and Alyson Taylor; Brittany Matthews and Cambria McKay. W -- Matthews. L -- Smith.
Game No. 10
| San Fran. St. | 003 | 010 | 0 -- 4 | 8 | 1 |
| St. Mary's (Tex.) | 000 | 003 | 0 -- 3 | 6 | 4 |
Holly Pearce and Mary Cunnie; Malissa Magee, Brittany Brown (6) and Elizabeth Beyer. W -- Pearce. L -- Magee.
Game No. 11
| San Fran. St. | 000 | 003 | 0 -- 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Kennesaw St. | 200 | 011 | x -- 4 | 8 | 0 |
Holly Pearce and Mary Cunnie; Brittany Matthews and Cambria McKay. W -- Matthews. L -- Pearce.
Game No. 12
| Northern Ky. | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Lynn | 001 | 000 | x -- 1 | 5 | 1 |
Krystal Lewallen and Megan Owens; Aimee Murch and Danielle Fanucchi. W -- Murch. L -- Lewallen.
Game No. 13
| Northern Ky. | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Kennesaw St. | 050 | 100 | x -- 6 | 7 | 0 |
Emily Breitholle, Krystal Lewallen (2) and Megan Owens; Brittany Matthews and Cambria McKay. W -- Matthews. L -- Breitholle.
Championship game
| Lynn | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | A |
| Danielle Curcio, cf | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jennie Scott, rf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christina Rolla, 1b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tifanni King, 3b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Alex Acosta, ss | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jenna Piotrowski, dh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Candace VanderVeen, ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kristina Ely, 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rachel Foster, lf | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Fanucchi, c | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Wilkinson, ph | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aimee Murch, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 28 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Kennesaw St. | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | A |
| Jen Hunt, lf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lori Cassell, 2b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Keri McKee, 1b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Cambria McKay, c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jennifer Nolan, ss | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Kelley Cowart, cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chelce Culberson, dh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Amy Middleton, ph/dh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kate Winstel, rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Courtney Matiak, 3b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Brittany Matthews, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lisa Lamb, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 26 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 7 |
| Lynn | 020 | 002 | 1 -- 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Kennesaw St. | 000 | 102 | 0 -- 3 | 5 | 2 |
E -- King, Nolan, Cowart. LOB -- Lynn 6, Kennesaw St. 2. 3B -- Nolan. HR -- Rolla, King, Foster, McKee. SH -- Scott, Wilkinson. SB -- Cassell.
| Lynn | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB | BF |
| Murch (W) | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 26 | 26 |
| Kennesaw St. | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AB | BF |
| Matthews (L) | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 22 |
| Lamb | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 |
WP -- Matthews. T -- 1:59. A -- 670
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