Friars Headed to Postseason

After hours of agonizing scoreboard watching, the Providence College Softball Team can now safely claim a spot in the upcoming 2008 Big East Tournament. The Friars, who had been battling for the eighth and final spot in the tourney with Villanova, secured a spot after Rutgers beat 'Nova in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 29.

"We all were paying close attention to that game," said junior pitcher Jennifer Maccio. "It was tough to stay up to date with the blackout on campus, but we called our friends and made sure we knew how the game was going."

The excitement of making it to the postseason is something that everyone on the squad is extremely excited about, especially Head Coach Kerri Jacklets.

"We're thrilled to be in this position," said Jacklets. "We're playing with confidence and a competitive edge that will make us a tough out in the tournament."

With a few games remaining, PC can climb into the seventh seed, but it is more likely that the Friars will enter the tourney as the eight seed and have to do battle with one of the league's top teams. Although this seems like an extremely daunting task, the Friar nine seems very confident about their prospects of doing some damage in the Big East.

"We've played top teams all season," said junior Gina Rossi. "We're well prepared and ready to play anyone in this league."

Before PC heard the good news about their postseason prospects, they did battle with two very tough opponents in the forms of DePaul and Notre Dame.

On Sunday April, 27, Providence headed to the Midwest to take on the DePaul Blue Demons. The Demons entered in second place in the conference and during the doubleheader, proved why they are one of the Big East's toughest squads.

In the second game of the day, the Friars battled neck-and-neck with DePaul. PC broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth inning, when sophomore Julie Becker led off the inning with a double and was later singled home by sophomore Teresa Bertels.

Bertels' RBI looked to be enough for PC who received an unbelievable performance from sophomore Danielle Bertolette, but DePaul would not be denied on their home field. With the Friars clinging to a slim 1-0 advantage, the Demons plated two runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning to give them a 2-1 edge heading into the last inning of play.

With just three outs to work with PC tried to mount a comeback but came up short. Gina Rossi hit a two-out double, but the Friars could not get the hit to bring her home and would end up with a 2-1 loss.

The first game of the day did not prove to be nearly as close. DePaul jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back. The Demons pummeled PC pitching, knocking out eight hits and plating eight runs in their easy 8-0 victory. Offensively, PC could not get anything going, managing just a single hit for the game.

As disappointing as the trip to Chicago was, the Friars got a serious confidence boost when they headed to South Bend, Ind., where they met the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Like DePaul, Notre Dame has been near the top of the Big East standings all season, but that certainly did not intimidate the upstart Friars.

In the second game of the twin-billing, PC made an early splash, bringing two runners around the bases to take 2-0 lead. The big hit in the inning came off of the bat of Gina Rossi who crushed a two-run double to give PC the lead.

After being kept at bay for the next two innings, the Friars got the sticks going once again. After a a batter was hit by pitch and a single by freshman Justine Stratton, Teresa Bertels delivered the big blow with a two run double down the left field line. With a comfortable 4-0 lead, Providence would plate another run on an RBI single by Christy Becker and wind up with an important 5-3 victory.

Jennifer Maccio ended up with the win, working five innings while surrendering just three runs.

"It was huge to beat Notre Dame," said Maccio. "It shows us that we can play with anyone in this league."

"This team learns a lot from playing great teams," added Coach Jacklets. "As long as we stick to our game plan, we will be able to compete at a high level in the Big East Tournament."

The first game of the day did not fare so well for PC. Sophomore Danielle Bertolette, who has been as consistent as any pitcher in the league this season had an uncharacteristically poor performance. She gave up nine hits and eight runs over three plus innings of work, but in her defense, was not exactly helped out by her defense. In the fourth inning, the Fighting Irish plated five runs, three of which were unearned after a crucial error by senior second baseman Samantha Pittman.

Providence also struggled at the plate. The Friars scored just a single run, when Pittman had an RBI single in the second inning. When all was said and done, Providence found themselves on the losing end of a lopsided 10-1 game.

Despite the 1-3 record over the weekend, spirits are high in the Friars' clubhouse. They have a guaranteed spot in the Big East Tourney and are confident that they will be able to beat any potential tournament matchups.

This week the team concludes its schedule with home games against Boston College on Thursday, May 1; South Florida on Saturday, May 3; and Louisville on Sunday, May 4. If the Friars can win a few games this weekend they can move up to the seventh spot in the Big East. If not they will have to play the number one seed, who will be either South Florida or DePaul, both of whom currently find themselves ranked in the top 25.