Jefferson Softball's Season Ends with a 4-3 Loss to Hudson Valley

Jefferson heads to Hudson Valley for a best of 3 Regional playoff series to take on the 4 seeded Vikings.  Hudson Valley struck first putting up a run in both the first and second inning to go up 2-0 early.  The Cannoneers would have no answer with the bats for the majority of the game until the 6^th inning when Emily Birmingham drives in a run with a base hit up the middle.  An error by the center fielder on the same play would allow the tying run to come around and score to make it 2-2.  Game 1 would need extra frames to decide a winner, and both teams put up a run in the 8^th to make it 3-3 entering the 9^th inning.  Unfortunately for the Cannoneers, the bats would be quiet in the inning and an RBI Sac Fly would walk it off for the Vikings to win game 1 4-3.  

Game 2 would now be an elimination game for the Cannoneers with their season on the line.  Jefferson would strike first with two RBI walks from sophomores Brooke Beleza and Torie Moore.  Beleza would drive in another run in the second inning to make it 3-0 and Torie Moore would drive in 2 with a double in the 4^th as Jefferson plated 6 runs in the game.  Rachael Shackleton was dominant in the circle, pitching a complete game shutout racking up 10 strikeouts as Jefferson avoids elimination with a 6-0 victory. 

Winner takes all for game 3 of the series and the Vikings would strike first with a run in the bottom of the 6th.  However, Jefferson answered right back in the third as Shackleton drove in a run with a ground out.  2 more runs would cross the plate for Jefferson in the 4^th with a 2 run error on a hard ground ball hit by Emily Birmingham. The score would remain 3-1 going into the bottom of the 6^th inning until the Vikings struck in a big way with a go-ahead 3-run homerun making the score 4-3.  The Cannoneers could not fight back and their remarkable season comes to an end with a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat in game 3.