Softball concludes 2011 season with TCCC crown, NCAA berth
May 18, 2011
Beverly, Mass. – Thanks to a trio of senior captains and key contributions from a stellar freshmen class, the Endicott softball team raised its ninth consecutive The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) banner in 2011. The Gulls, who also secured their ninth straight NCAA Tournament bid, finished the season 36-8 overall and 23-1 in TCCC play.
The 23 conference wins matched the 2009 season for the most in program history. The 2011 season featured a 22-game win streak, a walk-off home run, and a no-hitter.
A consistent starter over the last four years, senior pitcher Jenna Bortolotti (Milton, Mass.) will leave as program’s all-time leader in wins with 64. In her final season with the Blue and Green, Bortolotti went 18-6 and was a perfect 11-0 in conference games en route to TCCC Pitcher of the Year honors for the second straight year. She tossed a no-hitter on March 26 at Regis and nearly matched the feat in the NCAA Tournament, getting within a strike of another one in a 4-2 win over Lesley.
Classmates Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) and Hayley Hovhanessian (Farmington, Conn.) were regular fixtures in center and right field, respectively.
Wright, a three-time All-TCCC selection who garnered First Team accolades as a senior, and Hovhanessian, an honorable mention selection, were the only two players to start all 44 games this year. Additionally, they were both named Capital One ® Academic All-District.
Wright hit .403 with 15 doubles in her final season. Defensively, she led all outfielders with 80 putouts and 14 assists. She finished with 45 runs scored, none bigger than the one that gave the Gulls a slim 3-2 lead over Western New England in the sixth inning of the TCCC Championship.
Hovhanessian hit .380 and set career highs in hits (49) and RBI (31). She hit .375 during the NCAA Tournament and drove in the first run of the game in a 4-2 win over Lesley.
All three seniors joined five other members of the 2011 squad on the All-TCCC team. Jennie Lacolla (Stoneham, Mass.) earned Player and Rookie of the Year honors after a huge freshman campaign. Lacolla led the league in batting average (.536), slugging percentage (1.000), on-base percentage (.630), runs scored (39), total bases (69), and walks (21) in conference-only play.
Second baseman Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) joined Lacolla as the only other freshman to earn First Team honors while sophomore Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) earned First Team accolades for the first time in her career.
Sophomore Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) was a Second Team selection one year after being named the conference’s Rookie of the Year while freshman Mattie Brett (Waterford, Conn.) completed the infield sweep for the Gulls with an honorable mention nod.
The 23 conference wins matched the 2009 season for the most in program history. The 2011 season featured a 22-game win streak, a walk-off home run, and a no-hitter.
A consistent starter over the last four years, senior pitcher Jenna Bortolotti (Milton, Mass.) will leave as program’s all-time leader in wins with 64. In her final season with the Blue and Green, Bortolotti went 18-6 and was a perfect 11-0 in conference games en route to TCCC Pitcher of the Year honors for the second straight year. She tossed a no-hitter on March 26 at Regis and nearly matched the feat in the NCAA Tournament, getting within a strike of another one in a 4-2 win over Lesley.
Classmates Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) and Hayley Hovhanessian (Farmington, Conn.) were regular fixtures in center and right field, respectively.
Wright, a three-time All-TCCC selection who garnered First Team accolades as a senior, and Hovhanessian, an honorable mention selection, were the only two players to start all 44 games this year. Additionally, they were both named Capital One ® Academic All-District.
Wright hit .403 with 15 doubles in her final season. Defensively, she led all outfielders with 80 putouts and 14 assists. She finished with 45 runs scored, none bigger than the one that gave the Gulls a slim 3-2 lead over Western New England in the sixth inning of the TCCC Championship.
Hovhanessian hit .380 and set career highs in hits (49) and RBI (31). She hit .375 during the NCAA Tournament and drove in the first run of the game in a 4-2 win over Lesley.
All three seniors joined five other members of the 2011 squad on the All-TCCC team. Jennie Lacolla (Stoneham, Mass.) earned Player and Rookie of the Year honors after a huge freshman campaign. Lacolla led the league in batting average (.536), slugging percentage (1.000), on-base percentage (.630), runs scored (39), total bases (69), and walks (21) in conference-only play.
Second baseman Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) joined Lacolla as the only other freshman to earn First Team honors while sophomore Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) earned First Team accolades for the first time in her career.
Sophomore Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) was a Second Team selection one year after being named the conference’s Rookie of the Year while freshman Mattie Brett (Waterford, Conn.) completed the infield sweep for the Gulls with an honorable mention nod.