College: May 2011 Archives

UC San Diego defeated top-seeded Alabama-Huntsville 10-3 in the NCAA Division II softball championship game Monday in Salem, Va., to capture the program's first national title and the school's first crown in any sport since a women's soccer championship in 2001.

Led by local graduates Jenn De Fazio (Simi Valley), Kris Lesovsky (Royal) and Jennifer Manuel (Camarillo), UC San Diego (45-13) scored all 10 runs in the first three innings in support of junior pitcher Camille Gaito (35-4), who pitched six shutout innings before Alabama-Huntsville (48-6-1) scored three runs in the seventh.

De Fazio, a senior catcher, finished hitting .331 with 25 runs and 33 RBIs, going 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI in the final which followed a solo home run against Saginaw Valley State in Sunday's 2-1 semifinal victory.

Lesovsky, a senior outfielder and the Tritons' leadoff hitter, concluded with a .305 average, along with 46 runs, six home runs and 26 RBIs. Lesovsky walked and scored twice in the final.

Manuel, a freshman pitcher/utility, hit .333 in 28 games, along with posting a 3-4 record in 13 appearances. She pinch hit in Sunday's semifinal victory, but did not appear in the final.

Five former area softball standouts have helped their teams qualify for the Women's College World Series, which begins Thursday in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Hart graduate Jessica Shults and Canyon alumna Brittany Williams will lead host Oklahoma, which is attempting to win its first national title since 2000.

Shults, a sophomore catcher, boasts a .342 average with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs. Williams, a freshman outfielder, is hitting .309 with 12 home runs and 47 walks -- the most in the Big 12 Conference -- for the Sooners, who face Arizona State in their World Series opener.

Chatsworth graduate Cheyenne Coyle, a freshman shortstop at Florida, helped the Gators become the first Southeastern Conference program to reach the World Series four consecutive years. Coyle enters Thursday's showdown with Missouri hitting .318 with 51 runs, 15 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Missouri senior outfielder Kathryn Poet, a Flintridge Sacred Heart graduate, returns to the World Series as well. After hitting .225 with nine runs and eight RBIs in 35 regular-season games, Poet has added two hits, two runs and an RBI in the postseason.

Cal junior infielder Amy Bishop, a Glendale High graduate, has appeared in 13 games, collecting one hit and scoring one run. The Golden Bears, making their first World Series trip since 2005, open Thursday against Alabama.

UC San Diego defeated Saginaw Valley State 2-1 in the NCAA Division II softball tournament Sunday in Salem, Va., to reach today's national championship game against top-seeded Alabama-Huntsville (48-5-1), a 2-0 winner over Midwestern State.

Led by local graduates Jenn De Fazio (Simi Valley), Kris Lesovsky (Royal) and Jennifer Manuel (Camarillo), UC San Diego (44-13) is seeking the school's first national title in any sport since the women's soccer team captured a championship in 2001.

De Fazio, a senior catcher, is hitting .324 with 23 runs and 32 RBIs, including a solo home run against Saginaw Valley State.

Lesovsky, a senior outfielder and the Tritons' leadoff hitter, boasts a .307 average with 44 runs, six home runs and 26 RBIs.

Manuel, a freshman pitcher/utility, has hit .333 in 28 games, along with posting a 3-4 record in 13 appearances.