GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa.- The No. 3 Immaculata University softball team (25-14) is rolling into the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) four-team, double-elimination tournament this weekend as winners of eight in a row after dispatching No. 6 Cedar Crest in an elimination game on Wednesday, 10-2.  The Mighty Macs are seeking the first CSAC title in program history.
 
The Mighty Macs got a strong effort from freshman Rookie of the Year pitcher Emma Bischoff (14-5) with six innings of work, allowing two runs and striking out seven.  Offensively, IU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by sophomore First Team All-CSAC outfielder Ashley Rey, one of three hits on the day for Rey.  The Macs blew it open in the third with five runs on just three hits as they sent 11 batters to the plate, highlighted by an RBI single by sophomore Michaela Petito, who also had three hits.  Cedar Crest got two in the fifth, but the Macs ended it in the sixth as CSAC Player of the Year Annemarie Bartow hit a two-run home run and sophomore LeighAnn Brocious ended it with a two-run single to left.
 
The Mighty Macs advanced to the double elimination tournament last season and came one game away from winning it all, as they fell in the final contest to Neumann, 5-0.  On the way, they defeated Gwynedd Mercy, Marywood, and Cabrini, before beating the Knights in the first game of the championship series.
 
This season, the Mighty Macs are hoping to take the next step as they play No. 2 Cabrini in the opener at 10 a.m. on Friday morning at Gwynedd Mercy, where the entire tournament will be hosted.  These two teams split their regular season doubleheader in a pair of wild affairs.  The Macs were leading game one, 7-1, before the Cavaliers stormed back with seven runs in their final two at bats to top the Macs, 8-7.  In game two, Rey was fantastic with three hits, two home runs, a double and eight RBIs as she helped IU to an 11-9 victory.  In the game, Cabrini again erased a big deficit, this time 8-1, to tie the game, but the Macs claimed victory in extra innings.
 
The Cavaliers (22-10, 18-4 CSAC) are led offensively by Marissa Alpaugh (.443, 5 HR, 43 RBI), Chrissy Ferraro (.427, 39 R, 44 H), and Jess Giordano (.406, 41 H, 42 RBI), and in the circle by Giordano (10-4, 4.18 ERA, 66 K).  As a team, Cabrini is third in the conference with a .372, but their pitching is fifth best with a 4.73 ERA.  The Cavaliers are seeking their sixth conference title and first since 2004.
 
In the other game, No. 1 Gwynedd Mercy (20-2 CSAC) will host No.4 Neumann (17-5 CSAC).  If the Mighty Macs fall in the opener, they will play the loser of this game at 2 p.m., but if the Macs win the opener, they will play the winner of this contest at 4 p.m.
 
The Mighty Macs and the Griffins played two tight games at the IU Softball Field earlier this season, and the Griffins came away with a pair of one-run victories, 1-0 and 7-6.  In the opener, Bischoff and CSAC Pitcher of the Year Melissa Hess went toe-to-toe, but a Gwynedd solo home run in the seventh was the difference.  In the second game, the Mighty Macs led 6-4 heading into the final inning, but the Griffins scored three runs and held the Macs off the board. 
 
The Griffins are led offensively by Amanda Clark (.552, 58 H, 5 HR, 44 RBI) and Jessica Behr (.419, 43 R, 6 HR) and in the circle by Hess who went 18-3 this season with a 1.90 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 121 2/3 innings.  As a team, the Griffins are hitting .337, sixth best in the CSAC, but they lead the CSAC in ERA at 2.29.  The Griffins are seeking their first conference title in program history.
 
No. 4 Neumann comes in as the four-time defending champion, but the Mighty Macs earned a sweep of the Knights earlier this season by scores of 5-1 and 3-0.  Bischoff was great in game one and the Macs then got a two-hit shutout from junior Jessica Bormann in game two.
 
The Knights are led on offense by Kierstin Fallers (.487, 56 H, 30 RBI), Jackie Schneider (.462, 4 HR, 43 RBI), and Julia Cox (.458, 49 H, 37 RBI).  In the circle, Jen Sieminski is the best Knight pitcher at 11-6 with a 2.65 ERA and 82 strikeouts.  Neumann leads the CSAC offensively with a .399 average and has the third best ERA at 3.41.  The Knights have won eight conference titles, all since 2006.
 
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