Young talent paved the way for the Muhlenberg softball team to contend for

Missy DeFrain was named to the All-CC second team for the second time in her career. She hit .286 in CC games and finished as the Mules’ career leader with a .987 fielding percentage.

a Centennial Conference playoff spot in 2006. Although the Mules fell short, finishing 17-21 overall and 8-8 in the CC, they can point to a bright future.

Muhlenberg played its usual rigorous schedule early in the season, including three games against nationally ranked teams on its spring trip to Florida. Back home, the Mules acquitted themselves well in consecutive home doubleheaders against traditional powers Cortland State, New Jersey and Moravian, splitting with Cortland, losing one game in extra innings to TCNJ and falling by one run in the Moravian nightcap.

Muhlenberg started out 1-3 in the CC, then reeled off six straight wins to climb into the thick of the race. The team excelled on offense and defense during the streak, starting it with a 10-2, 12-1 sweep of Franklin & Marshall and wrapping it up with three straight shutouts, tossed by three different pitchers.

In their last six CC games, however, the Mules scored only four runs. They finished in a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot but lost

Senior Lindsay Ruhling was second on the team with 15 runs scored.

the tiebreakers.

Muhlenberg’s strength was its pitching, led by junior first-team All-CC selection Nicole Washburn, who was 11-7 with a 1.83 ERA. She struck out 78 and walked only nine in 115 innings and threw three shutouts. Sophomore Katie Vecchione also hurled three shutouts – all 1-0 finals – and was 5-6 with a 2.45 ERA, including a 1.73 ERA in CC contests. Freshman Lara Kestenbaum blanked Swarthmore, the top hitting team in the CC, on two hits.

The team played the season without one of its top leaders, Tara DeMarzo, the senior catcher who was badly injured in an auto accident in the fall. On the field, Muhlenberg found a good replacement in freshman RiRi Ferrigno, who hit a team-leading .303 with 22 RBI and set a school record with 16 doubles.

Samantha Crist also had a promising freshman season, hitting .291 with eight doubles, 11 RBI and a team-best 19 runs scored. Sophomore Jennifer Rosenthal set a school record with four home runs, three of which came in three consecutive games.

Junior Hilary Marinchak led the Mules with 10 stolen bases and hit .269.