Twice a week this summer, Atlantic10.com will feature a sport-by-sport look back at the 2014-15 season and championships. Check back each week for a review of each sport. Today's look back: Softball.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
2014-15 A-10 SALUTE TO CHAMPIONS VIDEO
Rachel Gillen hit a grand slam and struck out seven to lead third-seeded Fordham to an 8-2 win over top-seeded Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Softball Championship game at Sortino Field on the campus of the University of Massachusetts.
Gillen, who was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Player, earned her third win of the week and was 2-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs on in the title game.
Dayton reached the title game for the first time in school history after setting the program record for victories for the second-consecutive season.
The title was Fordham’s third-straight and fourth in the last five years.
Joining Gillen on the All-Championship team were Dayton's Gabriell Snyder, Manda Cash and Tiffany Ricks, Fordham's Canessa, Lindsay Mayer, Cora Ianiro, George Mason's Liz Seymour and Brooke Blankenship, La Salle's Michelle Hagarty and St. Bonaventure' s Kelli Rohan.
Dayton, claimed the A-10 regular season and the top seed in the conference championship with a record of 20-2. The Flyers swept all four major Atlantic 10 softball awards, claiming Player, Pitcher, Rookie and Coach of the Year honors. Flyers senior first baseman Tiffany Ricks took home A-10 Player of the Year honors and her classmate Kayla English was named Pitcher of the Year. Freshman pitcher Manda Cash was named Rookie of the Year. Dayton coach Cara LaPlaca earned her first A-10 Coach of the Year honors as well.
Ricks batted .393 this season in all games and .446 against Atlantic 10 opponents. She had a league-leading 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 33 runs scored. A native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, she had an 18-game hitting streak this season and 16 multi-hit games this year.
English was a four-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week selection, posting a 0.84 ERA in conference play and a 1.52 ERA in all games. The Grapevine, Texas, native was 18-5 this season with 117 strikeouts. She threw Dayton’s first-ever perfect game this season.
Cash, a Columbus, Ohio product, had a 0.97 ERA in the A-10 and 1.35 ERA in all games with a 10-1 record. She also had an NCAA-leading nine saves and was a four-time A-10 Rookie of the Week selection.
The Fordham Rams, playing in the Harrisonburg Regional, reached the Regional Final after defeating Binghamton and host No. 15 James Madison, before ultimately falling in walk-off fashion to N.C. State, 2-1.
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