HENNIKER, N.H. – In the 16-year history of the North Atlantic Conference, no team seeded below No. 6 has advanced to the league Final Four in softball...until now.

Lyndon pitcher Katie Davis (North Haverhill, N.H.) would allow just one run on four hits leading the Hornet softball team past the New England College Pilgrims 5-1 in NAC Quarterfinal action Tuesday evening.

With the win the Hornets improve to 10-21 and advance to the championship weekend where they will battle Castleton State College at the top-seeded Husson University.  The loss ends the Pilgrims season at 17-16 overall.

The two teams would battle through the opening two innings scoreless before the Hornets would plate three runs in the third inning.  Katie Ste. Marie (North Troy, Vt.) would open the inning with a single, followed by a double to left field off the bat of Alise Vandal (Andover, Mass.). 

Both Ste. Marie and Vandal would then score off Jena Finnegan (Keeseville, N.Y.) single to left field.  Finnegan would eventually score off a Pilgrims error later in the inning. Lyndon would extend their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning as Meghan Gadapee (Littleton, N.H.) would reach on an error and score on a single off the bat of Vandal.

NEC would muster a lone run in the sixth inning as Kiley Williams would reach on a single and come around to score on a ground ball out by Rebecca Allen. Lyndon would get the run back in the seventh inning as Jen Lynch (Portland, Maine) would reach on an error and score on a triple to center field by Jillian Emery (Johnson, Vt.).

Vandal finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate, while Finnegan finished with two hits and two runs batted in and Jillian Emery belted two hits and drove in a run for the Hornets.

Four different Pilgrims singled, including Kiley Williams, Taylor Belsito, Alyssa Krause and Elizabeth Harrigan.