Garden City, N.Y. – The LIU Post softball team stormed into Championship Saturday with a 10-2 rout of No. 8 seed Caldwell University at the Janet L. Ficke Softball Field on the campus of Adelphi University May 11.
 
With the win, the Green and Gold find themselves in a familiar position with two opportunities to advance to next week's Super Regional Tournament, needing just one win to take the East Region 1 title.
 
Junior Hannah Olshevski allowed two runs over five innings to earn her 18th victory of the season. At the plate, the top-four Pioneer hitters combined to finish 6-for-8 with eight runs scored and five runs batted in. Sophomore Abbey Fortin led the team with a 3-for-3 effort with three RBIs and three runs scored. Freshman Patricia Dun reached base safely during all three plate appearances, scoring three runs.
 
LIU Post jumped ahead with two runs in the bottom of the first on a Caldwell error to take the early lead. The Cougars responded with one run in the top of the third before the floodgates opened for the Pioneer offense in the bottom of the frame.
 
With two runners on, freshman Breanna Klaiber laced a double to right-center field to make it 4-1 in favor of the Pioneers. Two batters later, Klaiber and junior Leah Mele executed a double-steal before sophomore Megan Sneeden ripped a triple in the right-center field gap to put LIU Post ahead 6-1. Senior Gianna Gattocapped off the big inning with an RBI-single to make it a six-run game midway through the contest.
 
The Green and Gold put the eight-run mercy rule into effect when Fortin launched her 16th long ball of the season over the fence in left field to make it 10-1. The Cougars tried to keep the contest alive with a run in the top of the fifth, but Olshevski stranded two runners on base to end the contest, pushing the Pioneers on to the championship round.
 
The Pioneers will look to extend their season tomorrow against the team that advances from the losers' bracket later this afternoon. First pitch of game one is set for 12:00 p.m.

Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.