Ephs Fall to Trinity, 8-4, in First Round of NESCAC Tournament

Box Score Location: Medford, MA
Records: Williams 23-14, Trinity 19-13
 
The Short Story: In the first round of the NESCAC Tournament, the Bantams took a sizeable early lead with a six-run first inning, but the Ephs rallied to make it a two-run game in the third. Trinity struck back with two runs in the fourth, and pitcher Jordan Stephan prevented Williams from scoring for the rest of the game to seal the win.
 
Coach's Take: "We weren't sharp in any facet of the game. While we had lots of opportunities from the second half of the game on, we just weren't able to get it done. Over the course of the season, though, we never gave up and kept battling until the very end [of every game]." – Kris Herman
 
How it Happened

• In the top of the first, Williams took an early lead when a missed catch error by first baseman Kennedy Rogers allowed Williams third baseman Kelly McGuigan '24 to reach, scoring shortstop Ronni Ramos '24 all the way from second base.
• The Bantams, however, loaded the bases with no one out on two walks and a hit batter. After Rogers scored Trinity's first run on a sacrifice fly to left, second baseman Gianna Tito hit a two-run double on a soft line drive to right field to make it 3-1. Another double off the base of the right-center field wall by catcher Alex Chambers made it 4-1, and a fielding error by Ramos allowed another Trinity run to score. Madison Mok '24 then relieved Elyse Chan '25 on the mound and gave up an RBI single to shortstop Taylor Mikolajczak before getting out of the inning, down 6-1.
• In the third, the Ephs loaded the bases on three walks, and catcher Sydney Fleming '25 hit a two-run single followed by an RBI single by second baseman Rachel Neugart '22 to make it 6-4. All three Williams runs in the inning came with two outs.
• The Bantams, however, padded their lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Tiffany Stowers and an RBI fielder's choice by Chambers to make it 8-4. Trinity held the Ephs in check from there. 

Inside the Box Score

• On the mound, Chan managed just two outs, marking her shortest outing of the season. Mok finished the game out of the bullpen, throwing 5.1 innings of two-run ball.
• Stephan went the distance despite allowing eight hits and four walks. After walking the bases loaded in the third, though, Stephan found better control and held Williams without a walk from there.
• The Ephs didn't manage a single extra-base hit despite combining for eight hits overall. Neugart was the only Eph to record multiple hits.
• The top three hitters in the Trinity lineup – Mikolajczak, Rogers, and Tito – reached base in 11 of their 12 plate appearances and combined for seven of the Bantams' eight hits.

Next Up for the Ephs

• Today's loss to Trinity was the Ephs' final game of the 2022 season.