UNION, N.J. (5/10/15) – With a walk-off double by Emily Bissonnette in extra innings, the Kean University softball team won the 2015 NCAA Division III Union Regional over NJAC rival William Paterson University by a score of 7-6 in nine innings. Senior pitcher Courtney Yard pitched every inning in the tournament for the Cougars and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Union Regional.

Click here to see the Cougars' game-winning hit!

William Paterson, which climbed out of the loser's bracket to play on Championship Sunday, forced a winner-take-all final game after topping Kean 2-0 in the day's opener behind a shutout pitching performance from Allison Podmajursky.

Game Two

Picking up the action in the second game, Paterson scored early, striking with two outs in the top of the first inning. Meghin Stanton doubled to the left-centerfield gap and came around to score on Rachel Wasilak's RBI single to center to stake Podmajursky, who had returned to pitch, to an early 1-0 lead.

In the home half of the second inning, the Cougars finally put up their first run of the day against Paterson. It came on one swing; freshman catcher Katie Garbarino hit her first collegiate homerun. The ball thunked off the Kean Cougar Paw flagpole for a game-tying solo homer.

In the next half-inning, Paterson loaded the bases with just one out on three-straight hits. Kean third baseman Amanda Berezny (pictured left) made a good play to stab a ball that seemed destined for the hole on the left side and fired home to cut down a Paterson runner. Yard snagged a line drive from the next batter herself to get out of the jam unscathed.

Kean put together a rally in the third when Tonianne DeMatteo walked with one out. With her on second base and two outs, Emily Sabo served a single into left, but leftfielder Kelsey Wimmershoff threw home to cut off the go-ahead run and keep the game knotted at one.

In the Paterson fourth, Kim Fryer started the frame with a single and Podmajersky doubled to bring her around. Nicole Fryer followed that with an RBI single to put the Pioneers up by two.

But it all changed in the fifth; Cayleen Rizo reached on an error to start the frame. Berezny then smoked a double that drove in the runner. DeMatteo then lifted a big RBI single to centerfield to tie the game at three.

With two runners on, Sabo's scorched-earth triple brought both runners around and gave the Cougars the lead. She came around on Bissonnette's RBI single as Kean pounded out five runs and chased Podmajursky from the game.

Click here to see a postgame interview featuring Yard, Sabo, Bissonnette and Coach Margie Acker

Trailing 6-3 entering the seventh, Paterson battled back to tie. Wasilak had a two-RBI single and pinch-hitter Sam Rothenberger tied the game with a blooper to left-centerfield that helped send the game to extras.

Both teams made some great fielding plays, especially the Pioneers, who were diving all over the place. There were at least three diving catches and Paterson turned a 5-5-3 double play to end the Kean seventh. The dust from their defensive exploits mingled with the tension in the air as the teams battled through 11 extra-inning outs.

With two outs in the home half of the ninth, Sabo singled through the right side to put a runner on for Kean. On an 0-2 count, Bissonnette volleyed an outside pitch the other way down the line. With tons of English on the ball, it kicked away from the rightfielder and into the wide foul territory at Cougar Field. Sabo – the swiftest Cougar – tore around the bases and was waved around third. Paterson's throw was up the line and Sabo's headfirst slide carried the Cougars into the Super Regionals.

Sabo and Bissonnette both had three hits and two RBIs in the final game for Kean. Yard threw 199 pitches in Sunday's two games. In addition to Yard (pictured right), Bissonnette, Sabo and Berezny were named to the All-Region team for their performances this weekend.

All-Tournament Team

Farmingdale
Taylor Webb

Courtney Yard - Most Outstanding Player

Game One

Paterson staged a two-out rally in the third inning. Podmajursky helped her own cause and got the Pioneers' first basehit. Nicole Fryer also singled into leftfield to put two runners on for Kelsey Principe. The senior got the game's biggest hit when she doubled off the rightfield wall, scoring the only two runs of the game. The second run scored with the help of a Kean error.

Kean's only other baserunner, besides a MacKenzie Valeriani single, came when Rizo was hit by a 3-2 pitch to lead off the fifth inning. Berezy sacrificed her to second but she was stranded there.

Podmajursky earned her 13th win of the season, striking out four Cougars to extend her scoreless inning streak to 14 innings. She had given up just one hit in that span.

Yard allowed just one earned run to take the tough-luck game one loss.

The Cougars have advanced to the 2015 NCAA Division III Softball Super Regional against Wheaton (Mass.) College, which will take place on May 15 &16. The site will be determined on Monday by the NCAA.