SOFTBALL SET TO HOST FIRST ROUND OF GNAC TOURNAMENT
WINTHROP, Mass. – In the first year of divisional play for the sport of softball in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, Fenway schools Emmanuel College and Simmons University have topped their respective divisions as the 2019 GNAC Tournament gets underway on Tuesday afternoon with two single-elimination contests.
WINTHROP, Mass. – In the first year of divisional play for the sport of softball in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, Fenway schools Emmanuel College and Simmons University have topped their respective divisions as the 2019 GNAC Tournament gets underway on Tuesday afternoon with two single-elimination contests.
Under head coach Olivia Berry, Emmanuel posted a remarkable 15-1 mark in GNAC play to earn the league's outright regular-season title. By virtue of cementing one of the No. 1 seeds, Emmanuel will host a pair of contests on Thursday, May 2 at Boston's Roberto Clemente Field.
Simmons prepares to host the Saturday-Sunday portion of the tournament on May 4-5 at Daly Field in Brighton, Mass., as the South Division top seed was set to host the final two days of the tournament in 2019. In alternating fashion, the top seed coming out of the North Division will host the final two days in 2020.
Simmons will also host two contests at Daly Field on that Thursday, as the Sharks have won 16 of 22 overall under head coach Brook Capello since March 30 – a date in which they split a non-conference doubleheader with Emmanuel.
Each of the No. 1 seeds will play in the second contest at each site as the double-elimination portion of the championship tournament gets underway.
Prior to that, the single-elimination play-in games took place on Tuesday, April 30, to determine the other two teams that will join Simmons, Emmanuel, and No. 2 seeds Suffolk University and University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in the six-team double-elimination portion of the tournament.
Yesterday in the North Division, third-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine defeated fourth-seeded Norwich University, 9-4, and third-seeded Johnson & Wales University bested fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College, 2-0, to advance.
SJC winner will take on Suffolk at Emmanuel on Thursday. JWU winner will travel to Simmons' Daly Field to take on USJ.
For the complete tournament schedule, please see below. Be sure to catch the tournament action live on thegnac.tv or watch on one of our four custom digital streaming apps.
GNAC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 (single elimination)
North Play-in: #4N Norwich at #3N Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 9-4, SJM
South Play-in: #4S Albertus Magnus at #3S Johnson & Wales - 2-0, JWU
Thursday, May 2, 2019 (double elimination begins)
Game 1: #3N Saint Joseph's (ME) vs. #2N Suffolk (hosted by #1N Emmanuel) - 4:30 PM
Game 2: Winner of South Play-in game vs. #2S Saint Joseph (Conn.) (hosted by #1S Simmons) - 4:30 PM
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 at #1N Emmanuel - 6:30 PM
Game 4: Winner of Game 2 at #1S Simmons - 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 4, 2019 (hosted by #1S Simmons, Daly Field)
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 1 - 10:00 AM (elimination game)
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 2 - 12:30 PM (elimination game)
Game 7: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 3:00 PM
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 - 5:30 PM (elimination game)
Sunday, May 5, 2019 (hosted by #1S Simmons, Daly Field)
Game 9: Winner of Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7 - 10:00 AM (elimination game)
Game 10: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 - 12:30 PM
Game 11: If necessary - 3:00 PM