2011 MAAC Softball Championship Begins Thursday
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - The 2011 MAAC Softball Championship begins this Thursday, May 12 with a pair of games at Softball Park at the Gartland Athletic Field on the campus of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
At noon, second-seeded Manhattan College will face third-seeded Marist. The second semifinal, slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. will feature top-seeded Fairfield University and fourth-seeded Iona College.
On Friday, May 13, play resumes at 11:00 a.m., with the winners of Thursday's contests squaring off. First pitch of Game 4 is at 1:00 p.m., which will be the first elimination game of the MAAC Championship. At 3:00 p.m., another elimination contest will take place, setting up the two teams who will advance to the championship round.
The championship game will take place on Saturday, May 14, at noon. If necessary, a second game will follow at 2:00 p.m. All contests can be seen live on www.MAACSports.com.
The 2011 MAAC Softball Awards Banquet will be shown on www.MAACSports.com free of charge. Coverage will begin at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 12.
Fairfield enters the championship with an overall record of 29-20 and a 13-3 mark in the MAAC. Iona, the defending MAAC Champion, went 11-5 in the league and 27-19 overall. The two squads played each other on April 2 in New Rochelle, New York. They split the series, with Fairfield taking a 3-0 win in the first game of the doubleheader, and Iona earning a 3-1 victory in game two.
Manhattan owns a 12-4 league mark and an overall record of 25-21. Marist also enters the conference championship with a 12-4 MAAC record and an overall record of 32-20. In their regular season matchup on April 17, the Jaspers won both games of the twinbill by a score of 9-6 in each contest in Riverdale, New York.
Tickets for the 2011 MAAC Softball Championship can be purchased in advance at www.TicketLeap.com or at the gate. All-session passes are available for $25. Single-session admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children and students.
The winner of the 2011 MAAC Softball Championship will receive an automatic berth to the 2011 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.