Kats Capture First Region III Championship Since 1989

The SUNY Erie Women's Softball team made program history on Saturday, capturing its first NJCAA Region III Championship since 1989 by defeating Monroe Community College in a best-of-three series at North Campus.

The Kats opened the championship series with a 2-0 victory behind a dominant complete-game shutout from Grace Szpylman. Erie struck early when Amelia Potter doubled home a run in the first inning, and the Kats relied on strong pitching, patient at-bats, and solid defense to secure the opener. Ashlyn Pignone led Erie offensively with two hits.

Erie clinched the regional title with a 6-2 win in game two. The Kats jumped out quickly with a three-run first inning highlighted by an RBI single from Carly Fraser and a two-run home run from Hailey Wisser. Erie added insurance runs in the second inning behind RBI hits from Natalie Witt and Pignone.

Amelia Potter earned the win in the circle, while Szpylman shut the door with three scoreless innings in relief, allowing no hits and striking out three. Wisser finished with three RBIs, and Pignone, Wisser, and Fraser each recorded two-hit performances.

Several Kats were recognized following the championship series, with Ashlyn Pignone and Hailey Wisser earning spots on the All-Tournament Team, while Grace Szpylman was named Tournament MVP for her dominant performances in the circle.

Throughout the series, Erie combined dominant pitching, timely offense, and error-free defense to complete a memorable championship run and secure the program's first regional title in 36 years.

With the victory, the Kats advance to the NJCAA Division III National Championship tournament, which will take place May 20-23 in DeWitt, New York.  Erie will find out their opponend on Thursday where selections will be broadcast on the NJCAA website.