IMMACULATA, Pa. - Immaculata University's softball team extended its streak of reaching the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament for a ninth-straight season in 2017. The Mighty Macs enter the conference tournament as the No. 3-seed, and Immaculata will host a first round game on Wednesday, May 3.

The Mighty Macs (22-14, 17-5 CSAC) host sixth-seeded Gwynedd Mercy University (17-17, 13-9 CSAC) on Wednesday, May 3, for a 4 p.m. start at the IU Softball Field in a single elimination game. The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the CSAC Championship, which begins on Thursday, May 4, at 3 p.m. The rest of the championship will be held onSaturday and Sunday, May 6-7, hosted by Marywood University.
 
Immaculata swept Gwynedd Mercy during the regular season, 8-4 and 5-2, on the road. Meghan Kugler had a career day going 7-for-8, including one double and two triples, scored two runs and had five RBIs against the Griffins. Moriah Hunter was 4-for-6, and Abigail Carter was 5-for-8 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Jessica Bormann started and went all seven innings in game one allowing four runs on seven hits, and she struck out three. Michaela Petito tossed the game-two win allowing just three hits and two runs, only one earned, while striking out three Griffins.

During Immaculata's current string of playoff appearances the Mighty Macs are 3-1 against the Griffins. The last time the two teams met in the postseason was during the 2015 championship where four-seeded Immaculata defeated a sixth-seeded Gwynedd Mercy team, 8-0. The Mighty Macs and Griffins also met in a first round game during the 2014 tournament, the last time Immaculata earned the third seed. Immaculata defeated Gwynedd Mercy, 8-1, to advance to the championship that season.
 
Gwynedd Mercy's only postseason win against Immaculata came during the 2013 championship when the fourth-seeded Griffins knocked the second-seeded Mighty Macs out of the postseason with a 2-1 win.
 
The first postseason meeting came during the 2009 championship as Immaculata won 8-0, and the Mighty Macs finished as the conference runner-up.
 
Immaculata is led in 2017 by eight all-conference performers, including both starting pitchers and catcher, three infielders, and two outfielders. The Mighty Macs had the most All-CSAC selections of all 12 conference teams. Junior shortstop Annemarie Bartow and freshman second baseman Abigail Carter were both named to the First Team All-CSAC. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Bormann and freshman outfielder Ashley Rey were Second Team All-CSAC picks. Senior third baseman Meghan Kugler led a trio of freshmen on the Honorable Mention All-CSAC squad as she was joined by pitcher Michaela Petito, catcher Emily Mesey and outfielder Moriah Hunter.
 
Bartow (.404) and Carter (.450) are both hitting above .400 for the season, while Mesey is a .398 hitter and lead the team with 14 doubles. Bartow is second in doubles (12) while adding one triple and a team-best seven home runs this season. Mesey and Rey are tied atop the team leaderboard in RBIs with 32 each. Rey is batting .359 with 11 doubles and six home runs this season.
 
In the circle, Bormann and Petito have had equally impressive seasons, and it's the first time that the Mighty Macs have had a pair of pitchers each win double-digit games. Bormann leads the Mighty Macs with a 3.47 earned run average having appeared in 22 contests with 18 starts, and she has an 11-4 record during 107 innings. During 12 appearances and 11 starts against CSAC teams, Bormann has a 2.29 ERA, 39 strikeouts and 8-2 record. Petito has a 3.54 ERA during 20 appearances and 17 starts for an 11-6 record during 97 innings. During 11 starts against CSAC teams, Petito has a team-best 1.92 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and 9-2 record.  
 
Overall, Immaculata is a threat offensively as it has nine players hitting above .300 this season, and the Mighty Macs are hitting .348 as a team. Immaculata is equally skilled in the field with a .969 fielding percentage during 36 games.  

This season marks the 10th time Gwynedd Mercy has qualified for the conference tournament, and the fourth in five season as the Griffins had a three-year run from 2013-2015.
 
Gwynedd Mercy had three all-league performers led by outfielder Jessica Behr on the First Team All-CSAC. Pitcher Alyssa Morales was Second Team All-CSAC, and utility player Lauren Waller was on the Honorable Mention All-CSAC squad.
 
Behr leads the Griffins in batting average (.444), hits (52), runs (38), triples (6) home runs (6), RBIs (44), and slugging percentage (.778). Waller is hitting .372 with 33 runs, 34 RBIs, eight doubles, five triples, four home runs, and five stolen bases.

Morales leads Gwynedd Mercy in the circle with 10 wins, and it the leader in complete games (12), innings pitched (90.2), and strikeouts (53).

In the league's other first-round game on Wednesday, No. 4-seed Cabrini University hosts No. 5-seed Cedar Crest College. The winners of Wednesday's preliminary contests will travel to either No. 1-seed Marywood University or No. 2-seed Neumann University, who each received a bye into the championship.  
 
Complete CSAC Championship information can be found by visiting the conference website HERE.