BEVERLY, Mass. – The No. 2 seed Endicott softball team was stunned, 5-4, by the seventh-inning comeback staged by No. 3 seed Salve Regina Tuesday afternoon at the Softball Field in Game 6 of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament.
After trading runs with Salve Regina in the first inning, the Gulls added a pair in the second inning and pushed across another in the fifth, as all of Endicott's runs on the day scored with two outs to give the Gulls a 4-1 lead.
The Seahawks got one back in the sixth on senior catcher Genevieve Benoit's (Swampscott, Mass.) RBI infield single to shortstop to plate senior pinch-runner Melissa Figueiredo (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and cut the deficit to 4-2 in favor of Endicott.
The Gulls saw a 4-2 lead with one out in the top of the seventh disappear in the blink of an eye as three of the next four batters singled and moved runners around the bases, capitalized by freshman Emily Woznick's (Sandy Hook, Conn.) RBI single to left that scored freshman Lindsey Florent (New Bedford, Mass.) and an error on the play allowed freshman Elizabeth Lombardo (Thomaston, Conn.) to score the eventual winning run.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Senior pitcher Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) dropped to 11-8 on the season in the circle as she allowed five runs (three earned) on 11 hits and sat down three by way of the K.
- Sophomore center fielder Casie Beauchemin (Lincoln, R.I.) tallied her first career extra-base hit with a double to right center in the fourth inning to break up a streak of six straight retired in order by Parry.
- Senior left fielder Jamie Corda's (Higganum, Conn.) double to left in the fifth moved her into a tie with junior right fielder Julia McNeill (Smithtown, N.Y.) for the most doubles on the team this season with nine each and Corda ranks fourth on the all-time list with 33 career doubles.
- The top six hitters in Endicott's lineup collected all six of the Gulls' hits on the day.
- The first six runs in the day (combined) all came with two outs.
FOR THE FOES
- Junior pitcher Kelsey Boarman (North Dighton, Mass.) earned the victory in two scoreless innings of relief to improve to 11-9 on the season. Boarman allowed zero base runners and struck out one in her 21st appearance of the year.
- Senior right-hander Nicole Parry (Quincy, Mass.) picked up a no-decision in her 19th start of the season as she lasted five innings in the circle and was charged with four runs (three earned) on six hits, issued three walks and fanned six.
- Sophomore second baseman Francesca Galeazzi (Lynn, Mass.) and junior designated player Kara O'Riley (Acton, Mass.) each recorded a game-high three hits apiece.
NOTES
- The Gulls are 31-11 all-time and 22-3 at home against Salve Regina dating back to March 30, 2000.
- The Gulls and Seahawks have met five times in the postseason, with the most recent meeting before today being a 3-1 victory for Endicott in Beverly, Mass. on May 2, 2014.
- The Gulls met Salve Regina twice in the regular season, as the Gulls split an away doubleheader at Salve Regina (W 1-0, L 3-0) on April 16th.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 2 seed Endicott (21-15, 14-4 CCC) will face the No. 4 seed University of New England in the loser's bracket on Thursday, May 5th at 2:00 p.m. on the campus of top-seeded Western New England University in Game 7 of the CCC Tournament. No. 3 seed Salve Regina (22-16, 14-4 CCC) moves on to the winner's bracket where the Seahawks will square off with No. 1 seed Western New England on Thursday, May 5th.
2016 CCC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Dates and times subject to change
PLAY-IN PHASE
Saturday, April 30
Game 1 - #5 Roger Williams 8, #8 Gordon 0 (5 inn.)
Game 2 - #6 Eastern Nazarene 7, #7 Nichols 4 (10 inn.)
DOUBLE-ELIMINATION PHASE
Tuesday, May 3
Game 3 - #5 Roger Williams 3, #4 UNE 2 (9 inn.)
Game 4 - #6 Eastern Nazarene vs. #3 Salve Regina 8, #6 Eastern Nazarene 0 (5 inn.)
Game 5 - #1 Western New England 1, #5 Roger Williams 0 (10 inn.)
Game 6 - #3 Salve Regina 5, #2 Endicott 4
Thursday, May 5
Game 7 - #4 UNE vs. #2 Endicott (at WNE), 2:00 p.m.
Game 8 - #5 Roger Williams vs. #6 Eastern Nazarene (at American International), TBD
Game 9 - #3 Salve Regina vs. #1 Western New England (at WNE) *
Game 10 - Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner (at American International) *
* Games 9 and 10 begin 20 minutes following the completion of Games 7 and 8, respectively
Saturday, May 7
Game 11 - Game 10 Winner vs. Game 9 Loser (at highest remaining seed), TBD
Game 12 - Game 11 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner (at Game 11 site), TBD**
Game 13 - If Necessary, TBD**
** Games 12 and 13 may not start earlier than the published start time, but may start later if the previous game runs long.
