The Misericordia University softball team was six outs away from an amazing comeback, but ended up with a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to King's in the Freedom Conference title game, Saturday at Delaware Valley.

The Cougars rode the right arm of senior pitcher Kat Lucenti and a potent offensive attack to win three straight games and take a 5-3 lead into the sixth inning of the final.

But, King's rallied for three runs in the sixth to win their second consecutive Freedom championship.

MU opened the day with a 7-1 win to eliminate Manhattanville and used a 10-run seventh inning to beat DeSales, 11-1, to advance to the finals.

After falling behind 3-0 in the top of second inning of the final game, MU rallied to tie score in the bottom of the third.

Maria Kidron drew a one-out walk and Hollie Sarnak doubled before Nicole Hoskins blasted a three-run homer to knot the score.

The Cougars moved in front 5-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. Nikki Boccia led off with a pinch-hit walk and Kidron reached on a bunt single and Hoskins ripped a two-out, two-run double.

King's mustered a three-run, game-winning rally in the top of the sixth. The Cougars got the tying run in the bottom of the seventh when Sarnak led off with a walk, but MU couldn't advance her.

Hoskins had two hits and drove in all five MU runs and Nicole Wenner and Caitlin Cromley both added two hits. Lucenti scattered eight hits and allowed just one earned run as the Monarchs took advantage of four Cougars errors.

Misericordia rapped 17 hits to hand King's a 14-9 loss and force a decisive game seven. Gina Urbon had a double and five RBIs and Cromley had four hits, including a homer, and drove in four runs.

Hoskins had three hits, including another homer, and three RBIs.  Wenner had three hits and two RBIs and Sarnak had three hits.

Lucenti worked in and out of trouble with nine hits and nine walks allowed, but just four earned runs.

King's took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the Cougars responded with a two-spot in the top of the second.

Wenner singled with one out and Cromley drilled a two-run homer to center.

MU went ahead 7-1 with a five-run rally in the top of the third. Courtney Novajosky reach on an error and Sarnk followed with a one-out single. Hoskins drove in a run with a single and Wenner singled to load the bases.

Cromley fell behind 0-2 in the count before being hit by a pitch to drive in another run. Urbon cleared the bases with a three-run double.

King's responded with a run in the bottom of the third and the Cougars came back with four in the top of the fourth.

Novajosky walked and moved up on a sacrifice before Sarnak and Hoskins reached on back-to-back singles to score Novajosky. Wenner drove in two runs with a double and a single by Cromley and a walk to Kat LaBrie loaded the bases before Urbon made it 11-2 with an RBI fielder's choice.

King's scored three times in the bottom of the fourth and made it 11-9 with a pair of runs in the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, Hoskins led off with a solor homer and Cromley singled and moved to third on LaBrie's double. Cromley came home when Urbon reached via error.

The Cougars added a run in the top of the seventh on singles by Kidron and Sarnak and a two-out single from Wenner.

Against DeSales, MU was locked in a pitching duel as both teams had just one hit through six innings.

The Cougars broke a 1-1 tie with 10 runs in the top of the seventh.

Cromley had two hits, including a grand slam and Urbon had a two-run double.

Lucenti tossed a one-hitter with four strikeouts and no unearned runs.

DeSales went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the second and the Cougars tied it in the top of the fourth.

Sarnak drew a one-out walk and moved up on a wild pitch before coming home on a two-out single by Wenner.

In the seventh, Wenner drew a one-out walk and Cromley singled and Ashley Ballard reached on an infield single to load the bases. Urbon put MU ahead with a two-run double to right-center.

Jillian Castaldi drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Novajosky reached via error before another run came home on Kidron's fielder's choice.

Sarnak made it 5-1 with a run-scoring single and Hoskins followed with a RBI-walk. Cromley put the game away with a two-out grand slam.

In the opener 10 hours earlier, the Cougars used a five-run third to beat Manhattanville, 7-1.

Sarnak blasted a three-run homer and Wenner had three hits, including a double. Cromley had a double and two RBIs and Novajosky added a double.

Lucenti scattered seven hits to earn the win.

With one out in the top of the first, Kidron reached via walk and came home on Hoskins' single to right field for a 1-0 lead.

Novajosky ripped a one-out double in the top of the third and Kidron singled before Sarnak blasted a three-run homer to center for a 4-0 lead. Hoskins walked and moved to third on Wenner's double before
Cromley ripped a two-run double to right field. Ballard added a double in the inning.

Manhattanville got on the board with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, but Wenner got it back with a solo blast in the top of the fifth.

On the day, Lucenti worked 28 innings with a 3-1 record while allowing just six earned runs for a 1.93 earned run average.

Caitlin Cromley hit .563 with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Nicole Hoskins added two homers and 10 RBIs and Nicole Wenner hit .563 with two doubles and a homer.

In just their second season in the Freedom Conference, made their first trip to the championship game after reaching 13 consecutive championships games in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.

Misericordia, 26-16, is the two-time defending ECAC champion and will likely earn another ECAC bid.