Over the weekend, William Paterson had three teams: Women’s Basketball, Baseball, and Softball. The Pioneers succeeded in a couple of ways, including some negatives. The Women’s Basketball Team is currently in the ECAC tournament. Despite not winning the NJAC championship, their postseason hopes stayed alive. Softball and baseball are past the start of their seasons, and baseball has gotten to a high start. Softball is not so much. William Paterson’s sports are in a rare sequence where winter and spring sports overlap, making it engaging for Pioneer faithful everywhere.
Women’s Basketball
The Pioneers Women’s Basketball team had an opportunity to play in the ECAC tournament, essentially a postseason tournament for well-recognized teams who didn’t make the National NCAA DIII tournament.
The Pioneers were recognized as the No.1 seed in this tournament as all the games on their side of the bracket ran through the Rec Center. The teams in William Paterson’s bracket were Baruch College, Hunter College, and Goucher College.
This tournament allowed guards Brianna Smith, Victoria Palladino, and Jade Martinez to play a couple more games in the William Paterson white and orange.
In Game One of the ECAC Tournament, the Pioneers faced up against Baruch College.
Baruch won the tip-off, but the Pioneers outscored the Bearcats 25-13 to jump to an early lead at the end of the first quarter. The Pioneer’s lead jumped to 22 at halftime, leading 50-28.
In the second quarter, William Paterson shot 53% from the field. The Pioneers continued with their lead, jumping to a 30-point lead with 1:28 left in the third quarter, their biggest lead. The Bearcats did attempt to make a mini-comeback, even bringing the game within 14 points, but the Pioneers held on and won 81-63.
Junior Renee Wells led the charge with 21 points and became the 25th Lady Pioneer in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. Brianna Smith added 16, junior Patty Walsh collected a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and sophomore Matti Cheira scored 10.
In Game Two of the ECAC tournament, the Pioneers played Hunter College, who defeated Goucher College 96-87.
The Pioneers had much momentum going into this matchup, which was evident from the start. William Paterson held a nine-point advantage after one quarter before going on a 42-11 run to extend the lead to 40 with just under three minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.
The Pioneer lead grew as high as 57 with under two minutes left before Hunter College scored five unanswered to lower the deficit to 52. Brianna Smith and Patty Walsh scored 20 points each, freshman Leilani Pinder scored 10, and classmate Geormaya Davis had a career-high of 8. The Pioneers advanced to the ECAC Tournament title game for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. They advance to take on Allegheny College on Saturday, March 15th, at 1 PM in Wayne.
Baseball
To start the weekend, the Pioneers allowed a big second inning and fifth inning to the Stevens Institute of Technology.
They ultimately lost 22-7 in eight innings, ending early due to darkness. The Ducks crossed home plate five times to start the day’s scoring.
The Pioneers finally got on base after Junior third baseman Jordan Brown reached base on a fielder’s choice and stole second. He came home when right fielder Thoams Jova singled to center.
The Ducks scored two more to make it 7-1 in the top of the third. In the bottom of the third, Junior shortstop Angel Colon led off with a base hit to the left side and advanced to third after a failed pickoff from the Ducks. Pinch-hitter Julian Pinto’s groundout sent Colon home, and two batters later, sophomore left fielder Stephen Kubis singled, sending Devin Daproza home.
The Ducks made it a 15-3 game, and thus, one seemed out of reach for the Pioneers. Junior Julian Salinas allowed seven runs, six hits, and three walks, bolstering his ERA.
Sophomore Thomas Papeo pitched 0.1 innings and allowed four hits and five runs.
Junior Chirs Quartuccio gave up seven runs, four hits, and two walks in 1.2 innings on the mound.
Senior Pat Pantoliano and Freshman Lucas van Gendt contributed to the mound and relief, attempting to close the game.
On Saturday, The Pioneers had a double-header against the University of Rochester.
In Game 1, the Pioneers took down the Yellow Jackets 11-9. A solo shot allowed the Yellow Jackets to score first, making it a three-run lead.
The Pioneers touched home for the first time in the 3rd inning as Senior catcher Connor Luckie and freshman left fielder Sean Lautherhahn touched home plate. The Pioneers unleashed a seven-run fourth inning with contributions from Lautherhan, Colon, Daproza, Kubis, and sophomore first baseman Ty Kobylakiewicz.
Rochester scored two runs to cut the lead to 9-6, but Lautherhahn reached second base on a hit and error, then scored when Colon singled to left field, pushing it to a 10-6 ball game.
The Yellow Jackets retaliated, making it 10-9, but their aspirations ended with a pop-out in the Pioneer’s favor. Connor Luckie was walked in the eighth inning as bases were loaded, bringing in Kobylackowicz for an insurance run.
Rochester threatened in the ninth inning with bases loaded and one out, but a 6-4-3 double play gave the Pioneers the victory in game one.
In Game Two, the Pioneers completed the sweep. In a much more tame game, the Pioneers took home a 5-4 victory, advancing their record to 6-3 on the season.
Two base hits, a wild path, and a sac fly gave the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 advantage after the first inning. After some quiet innings, the Yellow Jackets struck thanks again to a base hit, which led to an RBI single.
The Pioneers leveled the score during the fifth inning as Thomas Jova and catcher Austin Jack drew walks, and Pinto also got on base. Colon’s and-aided fly ball fell out of reach for the Yellow Jacket second basemen, driving in two runs.
The Pioneers surged in the seventh inning; Luckie was hit by a one-out pitch, followed by a Jack walk, and a pitch struck Pinto. Colon’s ground ball on the right side sent Luckie home safely, then Daproza delivered a two-out, two-run base hit up the middle to make it 5-2.
The Yellow Jackets added two in the eighth inning and couldn’t convert as the Pioneers took home the game. Sophomore Robert Nathan pitched seven innings, allowing two runs, five hits, and six strikeouts.
Neel Telidevera gave up two runs and three hits during one inning of relief. He moved into a tie for fifth place for WP career pitching appearances.
Softball
Softball had a double-header over the weekend and didn’t get the result they may have hoped for.
In game one, Scranton took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and added a third run in the third inning.
The Pioneers fired back as junior transfer Zoey Hagan doubled to right center field, driving in classmate Lilah Guthy for their first run of the game. In another transfer, Junior Brandi Shortway singled up the middle, driving in Hagan, and the Pioneers cut the deficit to one.
The Royals responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, advancing Scranton to a 5-2 lead. Both teams were on a dry spell until the sixth inning as another transfer, Taylor Palmieri, drove in a run with a double and advanced to third following a Scranton fielding error.
Shortway grounded out to the shortstop, but Palmieri crossed home on the play to pull the Pioneers within one. The Pioneers couldn’t come back, and the Pioneers dropped game one.
While game one was close, game two was not.
The Royals plated three runs to take the early advantage. The Pioneers couldn’t get it going on the pitching side as senior Lidsney Acker, junior Kylie Anthony, and freshman Stephenie Ciravolo combined for 11 errors.
The Royals tacked on four runs in the second frame and four more in the third, extending their lead to 11.
Junior Hailey Backo led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double and later scored on a Hagan sacrifice fly, putting the Pioneers on the board. Other than that, the Pioneers were mercied rule 11-1 in five innings, bringing their record to 1-5.
Coach Kathy Hill and crew are off to a slow start but can start getting on track in their non-conference schedule with road games against John Jay, Stevens, and Mount Saint Mary College.
