2012 MAAC Softball Championship to Begin Thursday
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - The 2012 MAAC Softball Championship begins this Thursday, May 10 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 Fairfield University will face third-seeded Canisius College. The second semifinal, slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. will feature top-seeded Iona College and fourth-seeded Marist.
On Friday, May 11, 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 12, at noon. If necessary, a second game will follow at 2:00 p.m. All contests can be seen live on MAAC.TV.
The 2012 MAAC Softball Awards Banquet will be shown on MAAC.TV free of charge. Coverage will begin at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 10.
Marist enters the championship with an overall record of 28-25 and a 9-7 mark in the MAAC. Iona, the two-time defending MAAC Champion, went 12-4 in the league and stands at 31-23 overall. The two squads played each other in the regular season finale on May 6 in New Rochelle, New York. They split the series, with Marist taking a 3-2 eight-inning win in the first game of the doubleheader, and Iona earning a 3-0 victory in game two.
Fairfield owns a league mark of 11-5 and an overall record of 29-25. Canisius also enters the conference championship with a MAAC record of 11-5 along with an overall record of 19-28. In their regular season matchup on April 14, the Stags won both games of the twinbill - 2-1 and 4-2 - in Buffalo, New York.
Tickets for the 2012 MAAC Softball Championship can be purchased in advance at TicketLeap.com or at the gate. All-session passes are available for $25. Single-session admission is $15 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students.
The winner of the 2012 MAAC Softball Championship will receive an automatic berth to the 2012 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.