Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 23, 1994 TAG: 9405250048
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ Trenton State, you've just won your fifth NCAA Division III softball championship. What are you going to do now?
"We're going to go jump in that creek," one jubilant player announced.
OK, this was Salem - not Disney World.
So, after hanging on to beat Bridgewater State (Mass.) 6-5 in the title game Sunday, the Lions left the confines of the Moyer Sports Complex for a celebratory dip in the Roanoke River.
They ended up in the water because Gretchen Herudek tripled to drive in two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, breaking a 4-4 tie and leading the New Jersey school to its second title in three years.
"I was just thinking I needed to take a deep breath and relax," the junior second baseman said. "It was an outside curve, drop-type pitch. I heard the on-deck batter say `outside' so I just stepped into it."
And while the ball sailed into the right-field corner, over the head of Bridgewater State freshman Kristy Wilbur, Trenton State All-Americans JoAnn Heckethorn and Michelle Carlson cruised home.
Heckethorn had reached on a walk and extended her NCAA record for stolen bases to 146 by swiping second. She advanced to third on a wild pitch by Bridgewater State's Judy Gallagher.
Carlson then drew her eighth walk of the tournament.
"I knew they were going to walk [Carlson]," Herudek said. "I was just trying to hit the ball hard on the ground. It went a little farther than I anticipated."
Carlson, a senior, batted .875 (7-for-8) in the tournament and was chosen player of the year after the game. Herudek, Heckethorn and shortstop Barb Lubieski also were selected to the all-tournament team for Trenton State, along with Erine Grove, Sunday's winning pitcher.
Grove (24-1) struck out six and walked two in seven innings. The senior gave up nine hits and two earned runs. She was 3-0 in the tournament.
Gallagher took the loss for Bridgewater State and finished her senior season 25-4, including a 3-1 record in the tournament. She struck out two, walked five and gave up three earned runs Sunday.
The Lions (48-4) led 4-0 going to the top of the sixth inning, but the Bears rallied for four runs on four hits.
Bridgewater State provided one final scare in the seventh inning.
Wilbur led off the inning with a single, Angela Constantine grounded out and Jen Goodwin doubled, sending Wilbur to third.
Suzanne Bradford then lined to second and Wilbur scored on an error by Herudek. Gallagher popped out to third, and Danielle England popped to first to end the game.
Sixth-seeded Bridgewater State (39-8), playing out of the losers' bracket, was making its first appearance in an NCAA championship after advancing to the regionals nine of the past 11 years.
"The fact that Bridgewater State has never beaten us in regular-season play made a difference," said Dr. June Walker, Trenton State's coach. "And they played more games in the losers' bracket. That made a difference, too."
Trenton State has made the field every year of the tournament's 13-year history and has never finished worse than fourth. Along with their five titles, the Lions have been runners-up five times.
As Trenton State players hugged on the mound after the game, they learned via the public-address system they had another reason to celebrate. The women's lacrosse team won its sixth NCAA title by beating William Smith (N.Y) 29-11 in College Park, Md.
The Lions, seeded third, swept through the winner's bracket of the softball tournament by winning four games, all by one run. They came into the tournament hitting .472 as a team.
"I've said all year that our hitting was too good. You can't hit like that in the tournament," Walker said. "Defense wins championships. . . . Four one-run games is scary on an old person like me."
Of the 10 games in the tournament, six were decided by one run and two were decided by two runs.
Walker, in her 21st season at Trenton State, has coached the Lions to all five national titles. Does it ever lose its thrill?
"No, no, no," she said. "Now I can have a championship ring for every finger on my hand."
Gallagher, Constantine, Bradford, Wilbur and Dee Walsh made the all-tournament team for Bridgewater State. Completing the team were Missey Allen and Staci Van Arendonk of Central (Iowa).
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB