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NEW CASTLE, Del. – Sophomore
Hanna Finkelstein lifted the LIU Post softball team into the NCAA Division II East Super Regional when she belted a walk-off grand slam to left field to help the Pioneers overcome a 3-2 deficit against the University of New Haven on Saturday, May 11 at Asbury Field.
Trailing 3-0 at one point, the Pioneers chipped away at the deficit when senior
Ashley Melendez ripped an RBI-double and RBI-single during the fifth and sixth innings to make it 3-2 heading into the final at bat. The seventh inning began with junior
Allie Laird taking a pitch off the elbow to put the leadoff batter aboard and for the third time, the Chargers elected to intentionally walk senior
Julia Seader to put the winning run on first base. Despite falling behind in the count 0-2, junior
Abbey Fortin also took a pitch off the forearm to load the bases with no outs to set the table for Finkelstein's dramatics.
After fouling off a rise ball on the first pitch, Finkelstein connected on the 0-1 pitch and lifted it into left field. New Haven left fielder Catherine Vaughan ranged back to the fence and jumped to keep the ball inside the park for just one run, but the ball glanced off the top of her glove and the top of the fence before falling to the ground and sending the Pioneers into a major celebration for the second-consecutive day. The home run was Finkelstein's first walk-off hit of her career.
Melendez led the Pioneers with three hits on the day, her first three-hit performance since April 30, 2017 during her sophomore campaign. Senior
Leah Mele added two hits and Seader reached base safely four times, tallying one hit and three intentional walks. In the circle, senior
Hannah Olshevski allowed just one earned run while striking out three batters to earn the victory.
LIU Post advances to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Division II Championship for the second-consecutive year and will have a rematch with Saint Anselm College next week at the South Athletic Fields in Manchester, N.H.