New Haven, Conn. (April 29) -- Led by a 26-strikeout day from Northeast-10 Tournament MVP Jennifer Lowrey (Assonet, Mass./Apponequet), the Assumption softball team advanced from the losers bracket and captured the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament with 9-1 and 2-1 victories over No. 4 seeded Le Moyne College on Sunday afternoon at Southern Connecticut. The Hounds now earn the league's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division II Tournament, with the full field being announced on Monday morning at 10 a.m. on www.ncaa.com. The title is the program's third overall and first since the 2000 season.

In game one, Le Moyne jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Kelcie Cashel led off the half inning with a solo homer. That was the lone offensive highlight for the Dolphins though as the took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third behind a three-run homer by junior Melissa Jalbert (Gardner, Mass./Gardner). The Hounds blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth with six runs, including a three-run homer by Nikki Boris (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) and RBI hits from Paige Licata (Revere, Mass./Revere) and Lauren Medeiros (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk). Assumption also added an unearned run as Licata came home on an error by the right fielder. The game last just five innings as the Hounds forced the deciding game with the eight-run victory.

Lowrey improved to 17-8 on the season, fanning 13 batters and allowing just two hits over five innings. Sarah Harrison took the loss for the Dolphins, surrendering nine earned runs on eight hits to fall to 27-16 on the season.

The second game began in identical fashion as game one as Cashel led the game off with a solo home run to left to put the Dolphins in front by a 1-0 margin. Lowrey picked up three strikeouts to wrap up the inning though and the game headed to the second inning. In the top of that inning, freshman Jess DiPilato (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) homered to left center to immediately tie things up at 1-1.

The Hounds scored the eventual game-winning run in the fifth as Marissa Palumbo (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) led off with a walk and was sacrificed over to second to get into scoring position. Andrea Crowley (Norfolk, Mass./Ursuline Academy) singled to left and after the left fielder bobbled the ball, Palumbo came home for the eventual game-winning score. The Dolphins had two runners advance into scoring position over the final three innings, but both were stranded by an Assumption defense that produced zero errors over the last three games of the tournament.

Lowrey finished game two with 13 strikeouts as well, including her 10th of the day that made her the all-time strikeout leader in Assumption softball history, surpassing the previous record of 692 held by Kristin Ladebauche '00. She scattered five hits, along with one walk, as she improved to 18-8 on the season. Harrison took the loss for the Dolphins, falling to 27-17 while allowing just three hits in the game.

For the tournament, Palumbo led the team with a .615 average and a .737 on-base percentage, along with a .429 average by Medeiros. Jalbert hit .364 in the six tournament games as well with two home runs, along with a .353 average by Crowley. Crowley was also perfect in the field in 61 putout attempts.

In addition to Lowrey being named as the MVP and All-Tournament Team, Jalbert and Crowley were both honored with selection to the All-Tournament Team.

The Hounds now improve to 33-16 on the season with the victories, while Le Moyne ends its season at 29-26 overall.