Tribunes clip Corning to win regional title

BATAVIA, New York - Tournament MVP Amber Terlaje pitched the MCC softball to a pair of victories over Corning Community College Friday to win the Region III-B championship.

The Tribunes (23-10) now advance to the NJCAA Division III national tournament, which will be held May 17-19 in Rochester, Minn. Monroe has won 17 of its last 21 ballgames.

Terlaje went the distance in both games, allowing no earned runs in a 7-4 win in the opener before blanking the potent Red Barons 4-0 in Game 2.  The sophomore improved to 13-4 on the season, while her ERA dipped to 1.74.

MCC took a 2-0 lead in the third inning of Game 1. Vicky Adkins opened the frame with a double and moved to third on a Terlaje single. Jennifer Teerlinck then lofted a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Taylor House followed with a single and Emily DeFilippo plated Terlaje with a base hit.

Corning responded with four in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of MCC miscues to score the unearned runs. But Monroe rallied to tie in the bottom of the fifth, as Terlaje singled and House slammed a two-run homer to knot the score at four.

MCC then pulled away with three more in the sixth. Adkins had an RBI single, Julia Grace scored on a wild pitch, and Terlaje knocked one in with a groundout to make it 7-4.

Terlaje then set Corning down in order to get the win.

Adkins and Terlaje were each 3-for-4, while House finished 2-for-2. 

Terlaje went to work in Game 2 and showed no signs of tiring. She limited the Red Barons to just four singles while striking out five and walking none in the shutout.

MCC scored a pair of runs each in the fourth and fifth innings. Cassidy Geise had an RBI base hit and Jen Newell drove in a run with a sacrifice in the fourth. Teerlinck doubled in a run and later scored on an error in the fifth.

Teerlinck, Terlaje, and Maria Marcera all had two hits apiece in game two.