5/5/2007 - (Bronxville, NY) - She may be only two months into her college softball career, but based on the final three games of her rookie campaign, Mount Saint Vincent Softball freshman pitcher Megan Gonzalez can now officially say that she is one of the greatest clutch performers in the history of the Dolphin Softball program. With the Mount's season on the line and a Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Tournament Championship at stake, Gonzalez - who's efforts on the mound have been a catalyst behind the Mount's success all season long - turned in performances that can only be described as legendary despite her youth, and for the first time in five years, Mount Saint Vincent is the HVWAC Tournament Champion, sweeping Saint Elizabeth and St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) on Saturday to claim the tourney title. Despite a tough day at the plate for the Dolphins, with Gonzalez at her best and a fine defense behind her, the Mount pulled out 3-0 and 2-0 wins during games played at Sarah Lawrence College.

The Mount Saint Vincent Softball team celebrates the 2007 HVWAC Softball Tournament Championship after defeating Saint Elizabeth 3-0 and St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) 2-0 on Saturday during games played at Sarah Lawrence College. With the wins, Mount Saint Vincent captured their first HVWAC Tournament title in five years and finished the 2007 season with a 15-14 record.

The day opened with top-seeded St. Joseph's storming past #4 New Rochelle, 13-1 as the Lady Bears took advantage of nine CNR errors to score 13 unearned runs. The Lady Bears scored 11 times during the first inning as CNR committed five errors. The highlight for St. Joseph's was a two-run home run by C.J. Kavangh that made it 10-0. After the opening inning on-slaught, CNR settled down and allowed only two runs the rest of the game, but it was too-little, two-late for the Blue Angels, who finish their season 5-7. Eight different Lady Bears registered hits as Kavanagh drove in three runs, while Kristen Izzo went 2 for 3 with three runs scored. Freshman Julianne Basmagy allowed one run on two hits while striking out five during four innings of work. For CNR, Kelly Quartironi had a hit and registered the team's only RBI, while Megan Showell did not allow an earned run during four innings of work.

Mount Saint Vincent's Semifinal win over third-seeded Saint Elizabeth was a far cry from the teams' regular season meetings as the Mount crushed CSE, 13-2 and 16-4 on April 9, but on Saturday the Eagles came to play. Mount Saint Vincent gained the advantage with the help of three unearned runs. During the bottom of the first inning, sophomore Dana McGuire reached on an error to open the game, and later scored on a passed ball after a Gina Angolillo hit  to give the Dolphins the lead. Two innings later, McGuire walked and stole second base and scored on an error, and Angolillo later scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

The three-run lead was all Gonzalez needed as only five days after throwing a no-hitter during a 10-0 win over the College of New Rochelle, she allowed only two hits, struck out eight and walked only one en route to her second straight shut-out. Angolillo went 1 for 2 with two RBI's and a run scored and McGuire scored twice. For Saint Elizabeth, who ended their season with an 8-12 record, Caitlin Mettler and Michelle Owens each registered hits, while Isabel Machuca did not allow an earned run and gave up only four hits over six innings of work.

Mount Saint Vincent's win over CSE set up a showdown with defending HVWAC Champion St. Joseph's (Brooklyn), the lone HVWAC team to beat Mount Saint Vincent, 2-0 on April 19. This time around, it was another nailbiter as neither team got things going offensively, but Mount Saint Vincent finally broke through in the top of the third inning. A Lisa O'Shea single scored Jessica Piccoli. Two batters later, Jillian Troncoso doubled home Piccoli, and the lead was 2-0. Once again, Gonzalez held an opponent at bay as she allowed only four hits, srtuck out five, and did not walk a batter in a winning effort. Gonzalez was also aided by outstanding defense as St. Joseph's had the makings of a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning when a lead-off single by Izzo led to a double by Basmagy, but Izzo was thrown out at the plate as Piccoli made a perfect relay throw to the plate to keep the Lady Bears off the board. Two batters later, a pop-up to Piccoli gave the Mount the championship. O'Shea went 4 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Piccoli went 2 for 4 with a run scored. For St. Joseph's, four different Lady Bears registered hits, while Basmagy allowed only two earned runs while striking out four over seven innings of work.

Gonazlez earned Tournament MVP honors as during her last three outings, she pitched 19 innings and did not allow a run. She allowed a total of six hits and struck out a combined 18 batters, and for her outstanding efforts on Saturday was named the HVWAC Tournament MVP.

Mount Saint Vincent finished the 2007 season with a 15-14 overall record, while St. Joseph's finishes the season 21-12.