MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The LIU Brooklyn softball team registered 13 hits and tied the Northeast Conference single-season record for home runs by a team, but four errors and a number of missed opportunities cost the Blackbirds in a 9-8 loss to Central Connecticut on championship day of the NEC Tournament on Saturday. Graduate student Lauren Morizi, junior Whitney West and junior Celinna Cosio were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts throughout the three-day event.

LIU got off to a hot start with the bats, as West, Morizi and freshman Victoria Zamora all recorded base hits in the bottom of the first off First Team All-NEC pitcher Laura Messina. Morizi's single through the right side gave the Blackbirds a 1-0 lead, and a sacrifice fly by Cosio drove in another run and put the score at 2-0.

An error on the Blue Devils allowed another run to score in the second inning, but LIU could not do further damage and left a pair of runners in scoring position. After senior Nicole Archer held CCSU off the scoreboard for the third straight frame, a two-run home run by Cosio upped the advantage to 5-0 heading into the top of the fourth.

After another runner was stranded in scoring position to close the fourth, the Blue Devils got on the board with a single run in the fifth on two walks and a pair of wild pitches. Sophomore Shelley Procter came in with a runner on third and just one out but worked out of trouble and kept the LIU Brooklyn lead at four going into the bottom half.

Cosio singled to lead off the fifth and a walk by sophomore Kylie Mulholland put a pair on with nobody out. But Messina was up to the task, getting three straight outs to work a scoreless fifth. The sixth inning proved to be pivotal, as a pair of errors on the Blackbirds allowed the Blue Devils to score their second run. A single and a walk loaded the bases for Brittany Camara, who came through with a base hit to tally the second run of the frame and cut the margin to 5-3.

A fielder's choice pushed home another run and put runners on first and second for eventual Tournament MVP Kat Malcolm, who lined a bases-clearing triple into the gap in right-centerfield to give CCSU its first lead of the game at 6-5. Malcolm closed the tournament with a .667 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage, in addition to making a number of clutch defensive plays.

Now trailing by one, the newly-minted NEC Rookie of the Year Zamora erased the deficit and once again gave LIU the lead with a two-run blast off Messina that put the Blackbirds up 7-6. LIU Brooklyn was one out away from ending the contest and forcing the if game, but three straight singles in the top of the seventh by Mackenzie Keyes, Katie Schmidt and Camara flipped the script and once again pushed the Blue Devils in front.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, junior Ariana Lopez continued the wild affair with a solo home run that tied the contest at 8-8. The home run was LIU's 43rd on the year to match the program's own NEC mark set in 2006.

In extra innings, another error to start the eighth inning proved costly as Malcolm moved to second on the play and eventually came around to score on a base hit by Tori Constantin. The Blackbirds did have a threat in the bottom of the eighth, as Morizi lined a single into center field with one out. But back-to-back comebackers to Messina closed out the game and gave CCSU the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

West ended the four-game event 8-for-13 at the plate with six runs scored and now has 171 hits to put her within striking distance of LIU's career record heading into her senior year. Morizi closed out a fabulous career with a 5-for-11 showing at the plate with six runs batted in. Senior Madison Green also had a standout performance, just missing all-tournament honors with four hits and five runs scored.