(Posted May 9, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The Juniata College softball team saw its 2009 season come to an end on Saturday, with a pair of losses in the ECAC Division III South Region Tournament at Huntingdon's West End Field.

The Eagles lost their opening round game to number four seed Misericordia University, 6-4, then fell to third-seeded Bethany (W.Va.) College, 1-0, in an elimination game.

Juniata completed its season with a 24-15 overall record.

In the first game, Juniata held a 2-0 lead after three innings, after scoring single runs in the second and third frames. Sophomore Melissa Moffat (Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside) scored the lone Eagle run in the second with a solo home run to left field. Senior Tara Carl (Duke Center, Pa./Otto-Eldred) led off the third with a single to right center, was sacrificed to second by Stacy Nagy (Millerton, Pa./Troy), and scored on Kelsey Shutt's (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) double to center field.

Misericordia pulled even with Juniata in the fourth with a pair of runs, but the Eagles regained the lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Stacy Nagy got aboard on an error by the Misericordia third baseman, and later scored by taking advantage of a dropped third strike put out at first on Liz Schmitt (Knoxville, Tenn./H. Frank Carey, N.Y.). Moffat, who reached on a walk, was singled home on Rachel Nagy's (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) base hit to center field.

The Cougars took charge of the game with four runs in the top of the sixth, including a solo homer to left by Nicole Wenner. Katie Eiden doubled home Gina Urbon and Morgan Sorber for two more Misericordia runs.

Juniata starter Alyssa Erb (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) yielded five earned runs on eight hits with two walks and nine strikeouts, and fell to 14-9 with the loss. Misericordia's Eiden allowed seven hits and three walks with just four strikeouts, but held the Eagles to two earned runs.

In game two, Bethany scored the game's only run in the sixth, when Chelsea Butler reached on a leadoff single to left field. Butler went to second on Brittany Leslie's sacrifice bunt, and reached third on a Bridgette Fauth's ground out to second. She scored on Ashley Marinacci's single to right center.

Juniata starter Pam Heinrichs (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) ended Bethany's no-hit bid with an infield single to second in the third, but the Eagles did not pick up another hit until Shutt singled to open the seventh.

In the circle, Heinrichs held Bethany to just five hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Bethany starter Summer Terrell allowed just one hit over five innings for the win, while Cortney Newland also allowed just one hit in two innings of relief work to pick up the save.

In other day one games, Centenary College (N.J.) defeated Bethany, 7-6, in an opening round game, which sent Bethany into the later elimination game against Juniata. Misericordia downed Centenary, 13-2 in five innings, in a winner's bracket game.

In Sunday matchups, Centenary and Bethany will meet at 10:00 a.m. in an elimination game, with the winner facing Misericordia at noon. Should Misericordia lose that game, it would get a rematch at 2:00 p.m. All games will take place on West End Field in Huntingdon.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.