THE FACTS
No. 17 Gettysburg (38-5) 5, No. 25 Swarthmore (31-10) 2
No. 25 Swarthmore (32-10) 9, No. 17 Gettysburg (38-6) 2
What: Centennial Conference (CC) softball tournament championship
When: Wednesday, May 7
Where: Swarthmore, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Gettysburg, ranked 17th in the latest NFCA Div. III coaches' poll, won the opening game 5-2 to force the if necessary game in the 2025 Centennial Conference softball championship tournament before No. 25 Swarthmore bounced back in the winner-take-all final game 9-2 to claim the title.
THE LEADERS
•
Renee Laczkowski (Erie, Colo./Erie) led the Bullets with four hits in the championship series, recording two hits in each game.
FOR THE FOES
• Emily Bertrand went 4-for-5 in the final game to earn most valuable player honors for the Garnet.
THE REST OF THE STORY
•
Audrey Bergan (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School) poked a single through the left side to lead off the game before moving to second on a groundout and scoring on a
Morgan DeFreitas (Coatesville, Pa./Downingtown West) single that just got up the middle for a 1-0 lead.
• In the bottom of the first, Jordan Jackson walked with one out and Olivia McClammy followed with a single up the middle. Emily Bertrand singled home Jackson to tie the game before a Lia Fong single gave Swarthmore a 2-1 lead.
• Bergan led off the third with an infield single before a sacrifice and
Anika Pelekis (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) single to the gap tied the game at 2-all. DeFreitas followed with a double to the fence to give Gettysburg the lead before a
Carlie Goldstein (Verona, N.J./Verona) single up the middle made it a 4-2 game.
• The Bullets tacked on a run in the sixth.
Renee Laczkowski led off with a single before a one-out walk to
Jamie Shaw (Mount Airy, Md./Glenelg) walk and fielder's choice had runners at first and second with two outs.
Zoe Brennan (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) dropped a single into left to score Shaw for a 5-2 lead.
•
Paige Forry (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) worked out two two-out baserunners in the sixth and then retired the side in order in the seventh to force the winner-take-all championship game.
• In the final game, an infield single and two free passes loaded the bases with one out in the third inning before Bertrand poked a single through the left side for a 1-0 Garnet lead.
• Doubles from Jackson and Bertrand in the fourth keyed a four-run frame that pushed the lead to 5-0 before a two-run Laczkowski double just inside the left-field line made it 5-2 with two outs in the bottom of the frame.
• Swarthmore got those two runs back in the top of the fifth on an Iris Barone two-out triple before a Jackson double and Olivia McClammy sacrifice fly set the final score in the seventh.
THE INSIDE STORY
•
Morgan DeFreitas went 4-for-4 with two RBIs in the first game while
Audrey Bergan and
Renee Laczkowski had two hits each.
•
Paige Forry struck out seven with one walk in the opener.
•
Zoe Brennan joined Laczkowski with two hits in game two.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg will learn its location and opponent for the NCAA Div. III tournament when the field is announced on Monday at 11 a.m.
