GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Although the Pace University softball team managed to win game one on Friday afternoon, it would be game two that led to their elimination from the 2024 NCAA DII Softball Championship. The Setters captured a 7-0 win over the No. 7 University of Bridgeport and then fell short against No. 6 Molloy University, 3-2.
Game One
The Setters handled business in their first game of the day taking down the No. 7 seeded University of Bridgeport, 7-0. Although Pace's bats were a contribution to the win, it would be Gisselle Garcia who stole the spotlight as she tossed her fifth no-hitter of the 2024 season in a stellar performance.
Bridgeport had no answer to Garcia's dominance in the circle as she threw all seven innings allowing one walk, and no hits while striking out 11 batters. She earned her 20th win of the year in her second no-hitter against Bridgeport this season.
Aside from the pitching dominance, Pace's bats reigned supreme knocking 11 hits. Four different Setters had two base knocks in the contest as Pace made the most of their opportunities.
Brianna Shea broke open the scoring in the fourth behind a searing double down the right-field line. Moving into the fifth, the Setters held a 1-0 lead before taking over control.
Five runs crossed the plate in the inning as the Blue and Gold pushed their lead to 6-0 in the fifth. Kaylee Matsuda (1 RBI), Willa Poplawski (2 RBIs), and Katerina Luna (2 RBIs) accounted for the game-changing rally.
The Setters tacked on one final run in the sixth and Garcia continued to shut down the Purple Knights in the circle. The Lemon Grove, CA native retired six of the final ten batters on strikes as she cruised into another no-hitter performance which nearly was a perfect game.
The 7-0 victory showcased the Setters' all-around talent as they controlled both sides of the diamond. Poplawski (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), Shea (2-for-4, 1 RBI), and Luna (1-for-4, 2 RBIs) led the way for the Blue and Gold at the plate.
Game Two
For the second match-up of Friday afternoon, the Setters battled No. 6 Molloy University for a rematch of the opening game of the tournament. In a pitcher's duel, neither side found momentum in the batter's box until the fifth inning when the Lions struck first.
Molloy took advantage of an error to push ahead the first run of the game. Following the opening run, Chrissie Huhn smacked a single to right field to score two more giving Molloy a 3-0 advantage over Pace. On the brink of elimination, the Setters needed a push to keep their NCAA tournament going.
After a 1-2-3 sixth inning, the Blue and Gold moved into the final inning still trailing by three runs. Back-to-back walks to lead off the seventh led to a two-run double for Carolina Iturriaga and the game turned with just one swing.
With a bloop single from Sophie Valle, the Setters had runners on first and third with an opportunity to tie the game. However, a lining shot down the first base line from Kaylee Matsuda found the glove of first base and the Lions turned an unassisted double-play. Down to their final out, the Setters nearly sent a line drive into the gap, but the center fielder caught the ball to end the game with a final score of 3-2.
The win for Molloy marks the second time in two days the Lions have defeated the Setters as their pitching presented a difficult task for hitters. In two tournament games, Molloy held Pace to just two runs scored.
The Setters fell short of moving on in the tournament after a great effort. But, despite coming up shy in the NCAA Tournament Pace produced one of their best seasons in program history, tying their record for wins with 33.
