2002 NCAA Softball Tournament -- Game 4
5/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Championship Regional 6
Alumni Field, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, May 17 -- 11:30 a.m. -- Game 4
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Alumni Field)
Event: NCAA Softball Championship Regional 6 (Game 4)
Result: Oakland 3, Canisius 1
Records: Oakland (26-37-1); Canisius (33-16)
Next Oakland Game: Friday, May 17 -- vs. Central Michigan, 2 p.m.
Next Canisius Game: Canisius elmininated from regional with 0-2 record
Two-Run Fourth Inning Propels Oakland Over Canisius
Boxscore
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- No. 6 seed Oakland University used a two-run fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie and defeat No. 5 Canisius 3-1 Friday (May 17) in the first elimination game of NCAA Regional 6 at Michigan's Alumni Field. The Golden Grizzlies (26-37-1) advance to play No. 4 seed Central Michigan in Game 5 of the regional at 2 p.m., while Canisius (33-16) is eliminated with an 0-2 record.
The Grizzlies received strong defensive play all afternoon and were paced by a two-hit, two-run performance by Nina Catanzaro and one hit and two RBI from shortstop Erica Judge. The Griffins were limited to only four hits by OU starter Nicole Marzano.
In the top of the fourth inning, Catanzaro put the ball in play down the leftfield line for a single and was followed by a Jennifer Granger single that set runners on first and second with only one out. Lauren Steffens sent a liner to shortstop for the inning's second out. With Judge at the plate, Canisius' pitcher Genevieve Garcia's pitch went to the backstop, allowing Catanzano and Granger to advance. With two runners in scoring position, Judge sent the ball into rightfield to break the deadlock. Canisuis escaped the inning with Burns popup to second base but trailed 3-1.
Oakland took advantage of an earlier Canisius mistake to score its first run. Following a Nicole Schulte groundout in the top of the second inning, OU catcher Megan Piar knocked a ground ball to Canisius shortstop Amy Dodd. Dodd bobbled the ball and was unable to send a throw across to first in time to get the out. Piar was moved to second with Catanzaro's first hit of the day, an infield single to short. A fielder's choice forced Piar out at third, but Steffens followed with a hit to leftfield to plate Catanzaro from second base for the 1-0 lead.
Dodd atoned for her error in the second with Canisius' sole RBI of the game with two outs in the bottom of the third. Dodd's single into centerfield scored rightfielder Jamie Gorczynski, who singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch during Dodd's at bat. Gorczynski's run tied the game at one.
The Grizzlies' Julie Anderson pitched hitless ball in relief of Marzano for the final four outs to preserve the two-run victory and earn her first save of the season.
Q U O T E S
Canisius Head Coach Mike Rappl
On the game ... "I thought we played hard. We just couldn't get anything to fall. They came up with some key hits. They put the bat on the ball. I didn't think that (starting pitcher) Gen Garcia was real sharp and then Veronica Maher came in and was a little better, but they got the bat on the ball pretty well. The one hit that hurt was that little dinker. They were hitting the ball well and we were catching those, but that one little hit hurt us. That's the way it goes."
On the team's hitting ... "I don't know how much of that is related to what we didn't do yesterday. I don't know if there was some doubt in our minds about hitting after not getting the bats on the ball yesterday. I thought we did hit the ball well, but everything we hit was right at them. That's just the way it goes."
On the disappointment of going 0-2 ... "You never can predict how things will end up. I hope the underclassmen can take this and they can learn what they have to do to get better. I think this is a great learning tool for them. There are things we have to do better. We're going to take the whole new group from next year to mix in and we're going to have to have these guys to show the incoming freshmen what it's going to take. I feel for the seniors who are leaving with this because it was a great season and this is a sour note for the season. But they've been through it and it's part of life and they'll move on."
Canisius Freshman Outfielder Jamie Gorczynski
On the game ... "This experience has been unbelievable for me and the rest of the team. This whole tournament we've just been in awe of the intensity, the adrenaline and everything. It's just awesome competition and that's going to drive us through next season to want to get here again."
On the game ... "We definitely want to come back and we're definitely going to guarantee a win the next time we come back. It's going to give us a lot of heart and desire for the next time we come back."
Oakland Head Coach Steve Ogg
On the game ... "It feels great to get our first tournament win. We were so nervous yesterday and we made a lot of defensive mistakes. Today our defense was great. You could tell the girls were past the jitters and now we feel like we belong here and we are ready to go."
On facing Central Michigan in the next round ... "We have seen Central a lot and they have seen us a lot. They are a great team with a great coach and we are looking to have a battle with them. We know each other well and they have a quality team. A lot of the girls played summer ball with and against each other. We are excited."
N O T E S
The 3-1 win against Canisius was Oakland University's first ever NCAA Tournament win. The Grizzlies are appearing in the first NCAA Tournament in school history.
With the win, Oakland's Nicole Marzano earned her 10th victory of the season. The freshman pitcher has now improved to 10-11 in her rookie campaign.
The loss is Canisius' second at the NCAA Regional Championship 6 and eliminates the Griffins from play.
