Softball | 5/18/2023 10:07:00 AM

ASHLAND, VA – The St. John Fisher University softball team head to host school Randolph Macon College for the NCAA Regionals. They will play the opening game against Ramapo College and will await the result of the second game between the Yellow Jackets and Swarthmore College.
 
Empire 8 Title
The Cardinals reclaimed the conference title last weekend, defeating Russell Sage College 6-1 in an elimination game. The team leaned on pitchers Ainsley Evanetski and Jess Patterson in the four games and will do the same at Regionals. Patterson threw in three of the four tournament games going 1-1, throwing 15.0 innings. She allowed eight hits, two runs and six walks, while striking out 14 batters. Evanetski also threw in three games, coming in for relief in two games. In those appearances she threw 5.0 innings, gave up six hits, one run and struck out four batters. In her start in the championship game, Evanetski threw 7.0 innings of one run ball, giving up 11 hits, walking none and striking out four.
 
Offensively, the Cardinals will lean on all-conference selections, Mari Spitz, Madi Rose and Allie Klonowski. Spitz appeared and started in 39 games at catcher for the Cardinals and in that time recorded a batting average of .322 (37-for-115). She tallied 11 doubles, three home runs, scored 18 runs while driving in 17 of her own. Spitz holds a slugging % of .496 and on base % of .375. Rose took over second base and the lead-off spot in the order in her freshman year. She started in all 40 games and tallied a batting average of .345 (40-for-116). She has 33 runs scored, eight RBI, 21 walks and an on base percentage of .457, which is among the best in the conference. Klonowski played 40 games in center-field and she hit .359 (42-for-117) with nine doubles, seven homeruns and 35 RBI. She has a slugging % of .615 and on base % of .402.
 
Ramapo College
The Roadrunners enter the tournament with a 32-12-1 record and 13-4-1 conference mark. They earned an at large bid after falling to TCNJ in the championship game. They are led by Mahogany Wheeler, Avery Bartolomeo and Katie Rygiel, who all earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
 
Wheeler has recorded 39 hits including seven doubles and four home runs this season while she is third on the team with 27 RBI. Wheeler has scored 25 runs while recording a .293 batting average, 463 slugging percentage and three sacrifice hits. In the circle, she has recorded a 9-3 win/loss record with a 2.55 ERA as she has made 16 appearances and 11 starts in the circle. Wheeler has pitched six complete games this season including two shutouts while she has tallied 29 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched.
 
Bartolomeo led the Roadrunners with five home runs this season. She has recorded a .320 batting average with 38 hits including four doubles while she has tallied 22 RBI and 25 runs scored. Bartolomeo has posted a .475 slugging percentage and a .396 on base percentage. She's played all 39 games at first base.
 
Rygiel earned her second NJAC postseason honor of her career at third base after leading the Roadrunners this season at the plate with a team high 59 hits including a team best 17 doubles, 33 RBI and 31 runs scored. In 40 games this season, she boasts a batting average of .401, a slugging percentage of .558 and an on base percentage of .419.
 
No. 10 Randolph Macon
The Yellow Jackets have a record of 38-8 and 17-3 in conference play. They went 5-1 in the conference tournament on their way to the ODAC Title. Sophomore pitcher Gracie Ellis has been named ODAC Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. Ellis has had another dominant season in the circle, that seemed to only get better as it went on. She leads the conference in wins with 21, strikeouts with 205, and complete games with 22 (in 23 starts). She sits second in earned run average with 1.19 and saves with two. 
 
Senior pitcher and utility player Rilee Baughan has earned the nod for ODAC Player of the Year after a stellar season at the plate and in the circle. In conference play, Baughan batted .433, which was good for fourth in the conference, and belted two homers and drove in 21 runs. She also tallied nine doubles and struck out just five times in 67 at bats. Rilee ranked third in the league with seven homers overall on the year. In the circle, Baughan is seventh in the ODAC with a 1.53 ERA and 16 wins. She has tossed 13 complete games and 132.1 innings pitched. She allowed one or less earned runs in 13 of her 21 starts, proving to be a great 1-2 punch with Ellis.
 
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore put together a good season, tallying a 24-16 record overall, 8-8 in conference play. Squeaking into the conference playoffs as the No. 5 seed following two sweeps of Muhlenberg College and Franklin & Marshall College to close out the regular season, the Garnet advanced to championship weekend after dispatching No. 4 Gettysburg College 11-2 in the play-in game. Staying red-hot, Swarthmore kept on rolling, knocking down No. 1 seeded Ursinus College, No. 3 seeded Washington College and then Ursinus again en route to the Centennial crown and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The regional round begins on Thursday, May 18th as the Roadrunners take on St. John Fischer at 2:00pm. The Yellow Jackets will host the Garnet in game two of the day at 4:30pm. The two winners will move onto game three of the regional on Friday, May 19th at Noon while the two losers will play on Friday at 2:30pm in game four. The winner of game four and the loser of game three will play at 5:00pm on Friday to advance to Saturday's championship game.

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