HAMILTON, N.Y. – Cross off another milestone for
Jillian Herbst's decorated first-year season.
Herbst drove a walk-off single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth to lift Colgate past Army 2-1 in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon at Eaton Street Field.
Claire Whalen raced home as the winning run, slid under the tag and followed it up with an emphatic fist pump as she rose to her feet with the team celebrating at home plate.
Colgate salvages the third game of the series and now turns its attention to the Patriot League tournament, where the Raiders take on top-seeded Boston University on Thursday.
For the second time in the series
Bailey Misken and Jolie Duong went toe-to-toe in the circle. Misken threw all nine innings for the Raiders and 129 pitches later earned her 10th win of the season. She allowed one run on six hits with seven strikeouts in the victory.
Each team manufactured a run in the third inning. Angelina Bebek sparked the top of the third with a single and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Leila Hurst to get the visitors on the board first. Misken stranded two runners on base to escape the inning with the one run across.
Rebecca Johnson turned to her speed to get the Raiders on the board in the home half of the inning. The senior led off with a single to left field, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and came around to score on an RBI single by
Morgan Farrah to tie the game at 1-1.
Defense played a key role down the stretch. Johnson threw a runner out at home from left field in the fourth and then
Quinn Livesay ended the top of the ninth by throwing out a runner trying to steal third base.
The big play from Colgate's first-year catcher carried over the last half of the inning, when Herbst's late heroics gave the Raiders the 2-1 victory.
UP NEXT
Colgate (19-26, 9-9 Patriot) will take on top-seeded Boston University in the first round of the Patriot League tournament on Thursday. First pitch is set for noon from BU Softball Field, with ESPN+ carrying the livestream.
