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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

MCC softball wins second straight national title


The MCC softball team captured its second consecutive NJCAA Division III national championship on Saturday, defeating Central Lakes (Minn.) 13-3 at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, Minn.

The Tribunes went a perfect 4-0 at the tournament and finished the season on a 35-game winning streak. MCC ends the 2007 season with an amazing overall record of 52-2.

Jackie Dean (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) earned Tournament MVP honors after defeating Central Lakes for the second straight game in the finals. Dean allowed seven hits and struck out six in the title game, winning for the fourth time at the tournament.

The offense once again proved to be too potent for the competition. MCC banged out 19 hits, scoring two in the first, three in the second, and four in the third to give Dean a comfortable lead. Sophomore Whitney Wright (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) paced the attack with four hits and three runs batted in, while Laura Dischner (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) also had four hits.

Sam Rollins (Hornell, NY/Hornell) continued her torrid hitting in the title game. The nation's leading run producer had two hits and four RBIs. Rachael Cirello (Lockport, NY/Lockport) chipped in with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate.

Wright and Dischner were each named to the All-Tournament team for MCC, as were Sylina Santell (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo), Amanda Page (Batavia, NY/Batavia), and Mary Jayne (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan). MCC outscored its opponents 57-6 over the four games.

Monroe opened the tournament on Thursday with a pair of victories, defeating Columbus State 15-1 and College of DuPage 12-1. The Tribunes then topped Central Lakes 17-1 in Friday's winner's bracket semifinals. Central Lakes then beat Gloucester to set up the championship game.

The national title caps a season of dominance for the Tribunes. MCC finished the season with the nation's top team batting average and also boasted the country's leader in hits, home runs, and runs batted in. Monroe had a handful of players in the top 10 in each category.

Dean and Emily Burgess (Lyndonville, NY/Lyndonville) were the nation's top pitching duo. Dean finished the season with a record of 25-2 while Burgess was a perfect 18-0.

Tom Garigen
Athletics
05/21/2007