Box Score 

MAHWAH, N.J. – A two-run homer off the bat of sophomore Jenna Vitale (Kenilworth, N.J./David Brearley) was the difference as second-seeded William Paterson (34-7) defeated third-seeded Rowan (33-11), 2-1, in the NCAA Softball Tournament Mahwah Regional May 8 at Ramapo College.

The Pioneers, ranked 16th in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Poll, will play top-seeded Messiah in a winner's bracket game Saturday, May 9, at 2:00 p.m.

Game scores and the bracket match-ups will be updated at http://www.ramapoathletics.com/sports/2009/4/29/SB_0429092652.aspx. The NCAA Tournament Mahwah Regional is an eight-team, double-elimination format. The winner will advance to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Finals May 15-19 at the Montclair State University Softball in Montclair, N.J.

The game was dominated by pitching and defense for the first five innings, as only three base runners made it as far as second base. The scoreless contest was finally broken open during the top of the sixth, when senior Meghan Reilly (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) led off with a soft liner to third but was awarded first base on a catcher's interference call, and three batters later Vitale bombed a two-strike, two-out pitch over the fence in left-center field.

A one-out single by Rowan's Julie Leskanic down the right field line gave the Profs hope during the top of the seventh. A strikeout put the Pioneers within one out of securing the win, but Ashley Landi lined a ball down the right field line and it tailed away from sophomore Jillian Mulderig (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.), popping out of her glove to allow Leskanic to score and placing the tying run on third in the form of Landi. However, Casey Roselle's sharply-hit liner was caught by WP center fielder Christina Zippler (Blackwood, N.J./Washington Twp.) to end the threat.

Freshman Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) earned the win (16-4) with 7.0 innings of three-hit ball, allowing one unearned run while striking out two Profs. Vitale, Mulderig and sophomore Nicole Jimmerson (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) accounted for the Pioneers' three hits.

The meeting marked the fourth game between the Pioneers and the Profs in 14 days. On April 25, the two teams finished conference regular-season play with a doubleheader split in Glassboro, the Pioneers winning the opener, 4-1, before dropping a 4-3, eight-inning decision during the night cap. After leading 3-0 and then trailing 6-3, William Paterson eliminated Rowan from the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament with a 7-6 win May 2 on the Profs' home field.