College roundup: Michon, Woods lift ECSU to 1-0 win in Sub Regional opener
May 21—MANSFIELD — A pair of local players have helped put Eastern Connecticut State University's softball team just a win away from a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series.
Montville's Alexis Michon pitched complete-game four-hitter and Fitch's Cassie Woods drove in the game's only run with a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Warriors a 1-0 victory over Randolph-Macon (Va.) in the opening game of the best-of-three Sub Regional series on Friday.
The Warriors (42-5), ranked third in the nation, can sweep the series when the two teams meet again on Saturday at 10 a.m., with a deciding third game, if necessary, to follow at 12:30 p.m. The winner advances to the Division III World Series from May 26-31 in Salem, Va.
Michon (22-1) walked two and struckout 11 in pitching her 13th complete game for ECSU (she lowered her ERA to 0.97) while Woods, batting leadoff, went 2-for-3, lining the first pitch she saw to left-center in the bottom of the eighth to score Alyssa Vilchez with the game-winning run. Vilchez led off the inning with a single and was bunted to second by Carolyn Biel.
Baseball
— ECSU, the top-ranked team in the country, opened play in the NCAA Division III Rochester (N.Y.) Regional with a 10-7 win over Swarthmore (Pa). East Lyme's Matt Malcom went 2-for-4 with an RBI single for the the Warriors (40-3), who trailed 5-3 when John Mesagno hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give Eastern the lead for good, 6-5. The Warriors will play Middlebury, a 10-5 winner over Rochester, in the winners' bracket final on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Notes
— Coast Guard Academy's Logan Tobias has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 2 team. Tobias, the valedictorian of the Class of 2022 that graduated on Wednesday, was a captain of the men's lacrosse team and had a 3.99 GPA as a Government major.
He was named to the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) preseason Division III All-New England first team this season. Tobias was a three-year starter had over 280 career face-off wins. Tobias was named a 2022 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year earlier this spring. He was a three-time NEWMAC All-Academic honoree and led the team to two NEWMAC regular season championships.
— UConn Avery Point women's basketball player Adeline Smith has been selected as one of 39 student-athletes across the country to be recognized by the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) as a part of its 2022 Scholar-Athlete Team. Niantic's Smith collected honorable mention laurels after posting a 3.83 cumulative grade point average through her first three semesters.
To be eligible for the award, nominees must meet the following criteria: minimum 3.6 GPA on a 4.0 scale with a minimum of 36 semester hours or 45 quarter hours with a minimum of 24 semester/36 quarter hours at the nominating institution; participation in a minimum of one complete season of varsity competition at the nominating institution; outstanding athletics success; and outstanding qualities of leadership and citizenship.
A dean's list student in each of her first three semesters, Smith also captured honorable mention All-America laurels by the National Junior College Athletic Association for her play on the court during the 2021-22 season. Previously named the Region XXI Co-Player of the Year, as well as first-team all-region, Smith averaged a region leading 21.9 points per game and was second in the region with 10.7 rebounds per contest. She notched eight double-doubles on the season.
— Fitchburg State's Adam Kirsch, a senior pitcher from New London, finished his season with a 2-1 record and 29 strikeouts in 31 innings.
