May 10, 2007
PROVIDENCE, RI - Sophomore left fielder Danielle Sargent (Sabattus, ME/Oak Hill) went 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBI and one run scored, while Jenn Elwell (Tewskbury, MA/Shawsheen Tech) hurled a complete game victory to lead the fifth-seeded Endicott College to an, 8-4, win over fourth-seeded Keene State College an opening round game of the NCAA Division III Softball New England Regional Tournament.
After a scoreless first inning, the Blue and Green lit the scoreboard with five runs, capitalizing on four consecutive errors by Keene State, including three by junior shortstop Julia May (Deep River, CT). Gulls' center fielder Paula McGinn (Lynn, MA/Lynn Classical) picked up an RBI single, while Sargent capped the surge with a two-out, two-RBI single.
The Owls responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of two EC errors. Senior center fielder Kathleen Gambino (Freeport, NY) and sophomore third baseman Jenna Patnode (Surry, NH) each recorded RBI singles, while senior right fielder Kari Gardner (Grafton, MA) laced a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Endicott pushed another run across in the top of the third inning. With one-out, the Gulls put together three consecutive singles to load the bases and McGinn drew a walk to plate the run. KSC senior starting pitcher Erin Fuoroli (Warwick, RI) was lifted for junior Ashlee Nicholson (Swanzey, NH), who retired the next two batters to limit the damage. Fuoroli was roughed up for six runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits.
The Gulls added two insurance runs in the sixth, as Sargent walked, stole second and eventually scored on Sarah Spaziano's (Norton, MA/Norton) RBI fielder's choice. For the second time in the contest, the Owls issued a bases loaded walk as Elwell was credited with RBI to extend the lead to 8-4.
That would be more than enough support for Elwell, who did not surrender an earned run on the day. She limited Keene State to seven hits hits, while fanning six to improve to 13-2 on the year. Fuoroli was tagged with the loss as her record dips to 11-6 on the season. Nicholson surrendered two runs on just one hit, while striking out five in 4.2 innings.
Endicott College improves to 31-10 overall and will face top-seeded Rhode Island College, who is 38-5, tomorrow at 2 p.m., while Keene State (27-8) squares off eighth-seeded Framingham State (21-20) at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.
