COLLEGEVILLE, PA. - Capturing the first ever Centennial Conference Championship in program history, the No. 5 seeded Swarthmore softball team took down No. 1 seed Ursinus College, defeating the Bears 4-2 on Sunday, May 7.
 
Offensively, while both senior Cassidy Cheong and junior Alexandra Simon had excellent games, each notching two hits and a run, the star of the show was undoubtedly senior Kate Hart. Stepping up to bat with the game tied at 2-all in the bottom of the seventh, Hart launched a shot to deep left field, juicing the ball just enough to clear the fence and secure the walk off victory.
 
Pitching her third straight Centennial playoff game, the Garnet saw yet another godly performance out of sophomore Emily Bertrand. The righty completely shut out the Ursinus attack, allowing just six hits and zero earned runs while recording seven strikeouts over seven innings pitched.
 
For her incredible performances on both sides of the ball, Bertand earned the highest individual honor, being named Centennial Tournament MVP.
 
With the win, the Garnet capture the program's first ever Centennial Conference Championship Title, a streak stretching back to 2001 when softball was first introduced to conference play.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Bertrand was lights out from the circle through the first four innings, allowing just four base runners on two singles and two walks, none of whom reached home.

- However, while Bertrand was keeping the Bears at bay, the usually ruthless Garnet bats were left silent, managing just six hits through the first six innings.

- Swarthmore were not without their chances to score. In the bottom of the first, the Garnet loaded the bases with two outs, but left all three runners stranded when Bertrand grounded out to the shortstop. This cold streak would last until the bottom of the seventh. 

- The Bears managed to get past Bertrand's iron wall in the fifth, taking a 2-0 lead over the Garnet, a scoreline that would hold through the bottom of the seventh.

- Still down 2-0 in the final half inning, a Swarthmore team that had so far averaged 4.3 runs per game in the Centennial playoffs had been held scoreless. They needed points, and they needed them badly. Cheong got things started, smacking a one-out single down the right field line. Simon then got on base herself on the very next at bat, advancing Cheong to second. Sophomore Olivia McClammy then stepped up to the plate, with the power hitter no stranger to pressure-filled situations. Seeing a pitch she liked, Mcclammy hammered the ball to left center, driving home both Cheong and Simon to tie the contest at 2-all. Not content to simply go into extra innings however, Hart stepped up to the plate looking for the win. Capitalizing on a fastball right down the center, the Pittsburgh native quite literally swung for the fences, demolishing the ball over the left field wall and securing Swarthmore's walk-off 4-2 Centennial Conference Championship Victory. 

GARNET OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Hits: McClure (3), Cheong (2), Simon (2)
Runs: Cheong (1), Simon (1), McClammy (1), Hart (1)
RBIs: McClammy (2), Hart (2)
 
GARNET PITCHING LEADERS
Bertrand: 6 H, 0 ER, 7 SO, 7.0 IP
 
UP NEXT
With the win, the Garnet punch their ticket to the NCAA DIII Softball Tournament, with the selection show taking place on Monday, May 15.