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Softball

Western Connecticut Defeats Southern Maine 6-2, 8-4 (10 inn)

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
GORHAM, Maine  - Junior Emily Cintorino (Bristol, Conn.) earned both wins in the circle and the Western Connecticut State University Colonials received big hits in key spots to earn a pair of wins over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Towers field. WCSU defeated USM 6-2 in the opener and then picked up the 8-4, 10-inning win in the second game for the sweep.

With the pair of wins, Western Connecticut extended its win-streak to four games and improved to 22-12 on the season and 11-3 in the Little East Conference.  Southern Maine had its seven-game win streak halted with the pair of losses and stands at 21-16 overall and an even 7-7 in the Little East Conference.

 GAME ONE:

Trailing 2-1 after three innings, Western Connecticut jumped ahead of the Huskies with three runs in the top of the fourth inning.  Michaela Roche drove in the Colonials game-tying run with a double to left field before Christine Bighinatti crushed a ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run to give WCSU a 4-2 lead. 

The Huskies had previously taking the lead just an inning early with a two-out rally while taking advantage of a Colonials fielding error.  With two down and a runner on second after a dropped fly ball in the outfield, Huskies' freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) added to her LEC leading RBI total with a double to the right field gap.  One batter later, Davis came around to touch home plate as senior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) laced a triple down the left field line for a 2-1 USM lead.

Both teams were held in check in the fifth inning, but the Colonials scored one run in the sixth and one more in the seventh to close out the game 6-2.  Lydia Walter had an RBI bunt in the top of the sixth, while Nina Wojkiewicz doubled to left field in the seventh to drive in a run.

Cintorino was solid for the Colonials to pick up her 10th win of the season.  She did not allow an earned run through seven innings on four hits and two walks.  She struck out five.  Huskies' freshman Erika Millett (Whitefield, N.H./White Mountains Regional) set a career-best with 11 strikeouts in the loss, allowing six earned runs on seven hits without yielding a walk.

 

GAME TWO:

Led by a bases-clearing triple from Wojtkiewicz, the Colonials exploded for five runs in the top of the 10th inning to secure the LEC sweep.  The triple was Wojkiewicz's lone hit of the game.

After grabbing a 2-0 lead on an unearned run in the top of the first and top of the fourth, WCSU found itself trailing the Huskies 3-2 after five innings.  USM took the lead from the Colonials scoring one run in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the bottom of the fifth. 

Sophomore Samantha Crosman drove in the Huskies' first run of the game with a sacrifice fly deep to center field to score Davis.  Davis led off the inning with a single through the left side before advancing to second on an single from Duross.  Sophomore Danni Humphrey (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt, before Crosman collected her 13th RBI of the season. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Davis' single up the middle pulled the Huskies' even with the Colonials before Duross followed with an RBI single to right field for the 3-2 USM lead. Husky freshman Amber Kelly, who pitched a strong game, kept the Colonials off of the scoreboard through the sixth, but WCSU would nab the equalizer in the top of the seventh setting up extra innings.

            After a leadoff single to Maegan Rodriguez started the inning and sacrifice bunt, Colonial Kristen Silman singled up the middle to drive in the game-tying run.  With a runner on and one out, Kelly was able to bounce back and get the final two outs to head to the seventh.

            With Cintorino in the game since the sixth inning, the Colonials kept USM off the scoreboard in the seventh with three straight outs before both teams battled through scoreless eighth and ninth innings.  The Huskies' threatened to win in the bottom of the ninth with a lead off single, but the Colonials were able to turn a double-play on a line out to quickly get two down.  The double play proved key as the Huskies' next batter, freshman Taylor Lux stroked a single up the middle.

           In the 10th Colonials, with a runner placed on second, had a single, a stolen base and a fielder's choice to load the bases before Wojkiewicz's big hit. After the three-run triple, WCSU added two more runs on a sacrifice bunt and a single through the right side. USM took one back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly RBI from Duross.  The Huskies had the bases loaded with one down after back-to-back singles from

  Southern Maine is off until the start of the 2015 Little East Conference Tournament.  The Huskies are participating in the LEC tourney for the first time since the 2010 season.  The LEC tourney begins on Thursday, April 30 and will be hosted by top-seed and regular season champion Eastern Connecticut State University.  USM's seeding and opponent are yet to be determined.  Western Connecticut hosts Manhattanville in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday (1:00 p.m.).   

- cac - 

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