After completing the best regular season in program history with a 47-7 record, the Triton College softball team aims to end a 33-year Region 4 championship drought as the Trojans now focus their attention to the postseason.
Triton will enter the Region 4 Division II District A tournament as the top seed. The Trojans now
ranked No. 11 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll released May 10 will host Black Hawk College from Moline in a Region 4 quarterfinal best two-out-of-three series May 11 at 2pm in River Grove. The No. 8 seeded Braves enter 10-19 as the two teams did not meet during the regular season.
The series winner advances to the regional final four double-elimination round to be played in Freeport May 15 and 16. The tournament winner will be one of two representatives for the Region 4 at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament later this month in Oxford, Ala.
The Triton offense is one of the most potent in the nation as the team is ranked in the top five nationally in runs scored, total hits, doubles and stolen bases.
The Trojans are ninth in nation in home runs with 75 as they added six more round-trippers to their school record total in a doubleheader sweep of the College of DuPage by scores of 4-2 and 13-3 in five innings to close the regular season May 8 in River Grove.
Prior to the game, sophomores
Ryan Fontanetta (Leyden),
Kailey Kirkwood (Leyden) and
Geneva Pollman were recognized for their contributions to the program. Pollman got the start and complete game victory, in game one. The South Elgin High School graduate had nine strikeouts in allowing three hits and a pair of runs.
Triton trailed 2-0 going into the home half of the fourth, then the fireworks started. All-American nominee
Celeste Boshold (Elmwood Park) blasted a go-ahead three-run homer to right to give the Trojans a 3-2 lead. Boshold is seventh in the nation in home runs with 19 and third in RBI's with 84.
Another All-American nominee,
Katlyn Cherry (Hebron, IN) gave Triton insurance in the fifth inning by pounding out her tenth homer of the year to give the Trojans their 4-2 margin of victory. Cherry leads the nation in both doubles (23) and stolen bases (56).
In game two, Triton's third All-American nominee
Alyssa Stramaglia picked up her team-leading 16
th win of the season. The freshman out of Fenwick recorded nine punch-outs to finish the regular season ranked tenth in the nation with 161 strikeouts.
Stramaglia got plenty of run support as the Trojans broke open a 1-1 contest with 10 runs in the bottom half of the second. In the game Triton hit four more home runs as
Peyton Savino's (Huntley) two run shot gave the Trojans the lead for good at 3-1.
Melissa Gonzalez (Guerin Prep),
Alexis Maldonado (Morton) and
Samanta Nelson (Taft) all went deep as Triton collected 16 hits.
For more on the team as they enter the postseason,
click here to watch our playoff preview video featuring head coach
Christina Christopher, Cherry and Stramaglia.
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