Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior Shannon Martin (Wethersfield, Conn./South Windsor) and junior Alyssa Hancock (Waterford, Conn.) combined for nine RBI to help the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors to a pair of wins over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference softball doubleheader Wednesday afternoon. Eastern Connecticut defeated the Huskies 6-5 in the opener and then downed the Huskies 12-0 in five innings.
With the pair of wins, Eastern Connecticut starts the 2015 Little East Conference season 2-0 and improves to 11-3 overall. Southern Maine, dropping its fourth consecutive game, stands at 7-7 overall and 0-2 in the LEC.
In the opener, Martin's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference as the Warriors held off a rallying Huskies squad. After a scoreless two innings, ECSU took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a three-run home run from Hancock. USM took back a run in the top of the fifth with an RBI double from junior Jen Lynch (Portland, Maine/Deering) before pulling even with the Warriors with two runs in the top of the sixth. Senior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) drove in the Huskies' first run of the top of the sixth with a single up the middle before scoring the game-tying run on a wild pitch.
With the game knotted up 3-3 headed to the bottom of the sixth, ECSU had runners on second and third with two outs before Martin cranked out her first home run of the season to put her team ahead 6-3. The Huskies did not go down without a fight in the top of the seventh, however. Earning a base runner on a ECSU error, freshman Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine/Thornton Academy) notched a single to right field to get the Huskies with runners on first and second with one out. After a strike out, Huskies' freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) made it a 6-5 game with a two-run single. Davis, who advanced to second with an error on the play, was left stranded as ECSU got the final out to hold on for the win.
ECSU junior Emily Komornik (Shelton, Conn.) earned the win in relief for the Warriors. Komornik went two inning allowing three hits and two unearned runs. Senior Erin Miller (Waterford, Conn.), who started for the Warriors, fired five inning allowing three earned runs on three hits and a walk. Southern Maine freshman Erika Millett took the loss allowing six earned runs on seven hits and two walks.
In the second game, the Warriors jumped on top of the Huskies with four runs in the bottom of the first and eight more in the bottom of the second to cruise to the sweep. Sophomore Samantha Bardos (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) had three RBI, while Hancock drove in a pair of runs as the Warriors pounded the Huskies for 13 hits.
ECSU sophomore Samantha Valentine (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood) took the win pitching 4.0 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just one hit. Sophomore Summer Cipriani (North Stonington, Conn./Wheeler) closed out the game pitching the final inning, yielding a walk. USM freshman Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble) took the loss, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 1.1 innings on six hits and a walk. Kelly was relieved by sophomore Katelyn Hammond (Hampden, Maine/John Bapst Memorial), who last 0.2 innings allowing five runs – all unearned – on five hits and a walk. Sophomore Desiree Benner (Friendship, Maine/Medomak Valley) closed out the final two innings of the game. Benner did not give up a run and allowed two hits.
Southern Maine remains on the road and will face traditional rival Salem State University on Thursday (3:30 p.m.) for a non-conference doubleheader. Eastern Connecticut hosts UMass Boston for an LEC doubleheader on Saturday (1:00 p.m.).
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