CLERMONT, Fla. – The Endicott softball team is spending spring break down in Clermont, Florida where they are participating in the Dot Richardson Spring Games at the National Training Center. This morning the Gulls kicked off their 2014 schedule as they faced a regional opponent in Bowdoin and Bethany (W.V.). Rookies Chrissy Gikas (Danvers, Mass.) and Julia McNeill (Hauppauge, N.Y.) earned their first runs in a Blue and Green uniform as they helped guide Endicott to a 2-0 victory over their NESCAC opponent while eight different Gulls tallied runs in their 9-0 triumph over Bethany (W.V.)
Game One: Endicott 2, Bowdoin 0
Entering the matchup Bowdoin (4-4) had already played six games where the Gulls (1-0) were anxious to start their season. Senior Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.), the CCC Pitcher of the Year last season, took the circle and lasted all seven innings as she only allowed three hits while posting five strikeouts to earn the victory.
The third inning featured a calculating Endicott squad that scored their first runs of the season. To start off the inning Gikas singled to reach first base. Next, junior Jess Linden (Stratford, Conn.) capitalized her time at bat as she reached first base and advanced Gikas to second. Senior tri-captain Jesse Bilafer's (Concord, Mass.) second plate appearance was a fly out that advanced Gikas to third.
With Gikas only 60 feet away, newcomer Rachel Couto (Chelmsford, Mass.) laid down a suicide squeeze bunt that plated Gikas to put Endicott ahead 1-0.
The Gulls would bring their fire from the third inning right into the top of the fourth as McNeill doubled right off the bat as the first hitter of the inning and senior tri-captain Alex Moise (North Reading, Mass.) helped advance her to third base on a sacrifice. Gikas came up to the plate and brought McNeill home as she reached base on an error by Polar Bears short stop Dimitria Spathakis (Medham, N.J.) to make it a 2-0 game.
Game Two: Endicott 9, Bethany (W.V.) 0
In game two against the Bison from West Virginia the Blue and Green were able to shutout their opponent in just five innings. To start off the game in the first inning, Moise brought sophomore Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) home to earn the first run of the game to take the 1-0 lead.
Similar to game one the third inning seemed to be where the magic happened as they Gulls were able to score eight of their nine runs. The first came from Linden who crossed home off a RBI hit from DiBella. Sophomore Jamie Corda (Higganum, Conn.) capitalized on her her chance with runners in scoring position as she singled and earned two RBI's as DiBella and Couto made it to home.
After a double from freshman Kate Shields (Seekonk, Mass.), Corda and Moise earned two more runs for Endicott to make it a 5-0 game. To wrap it up the Blue and Green caused some tension for the Bison defense as senior Alli Noyes (Tewsbury, Mass.) advanced to first on an error by Bethany which brought Shields home for an unearned run. After Noyes scored an unearned, the Gulls capped off their eight-run inning on a Chanler Hospot (Pittsfield, Mass.) hit into right field to bring Gikas home.
In the circle, sophomore Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) worked all five innings as she only allowed three hits as she earned the shutout victory.
Endicott will pick back up tomorrow, Monday, March 17th when they face Allegheny at 9:00 a.m. which will have live stats, followed by a 1:00 a.m. game against regional opponent Plymouth State. Both games are set to be played at Hancock Park in Clermont, Florida.
