March 18, 2008
OSCEOLA, Fla. - Endicott College sophomore shortstop Jenna Lazar (Milton, Mass.) dropped down a suicide squeeze in extra innings to score Megan Downey (Ballston Lake, N.Y.), as the Gulls rallied past Western Connecticut State University, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon in Osceola, Florida.
The Colonials, a highly touted regional opponent, opened the contest with a quick run in the bottom of the second. Rebecca Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) connected on an RBI single, plating Brittany Finkedey (Ivoryton, Conn.) for the 1-0 lead. The run would prove to be the only score Maria Mangine (Lockport, N.Y.) would surrender, as the Endicott sophomore buckled down to throw eight innings of six hit, one run softball.
Endicott broke through in the fifth as back-to-back singles from Meghan Sargent (Salisbury, Mass.) and Rachel Pearson (Gales Ferry, Conn.) put two on with no outs for the Gulls. A dropped pop-up to the pitchers mound allowed Sargent to score all the way from second, knotting the game up at 1-all.
In extra frames, Endicott began the eighth inning with Downey placed at second. Senior Paula McGinn (Lynn, Mass.) was able to move the runner over to third as she pushed the ball down the line to earn the sacrifice. Sophomore Jenna Lazar came to the dish and dropped a perfectly executed squeeze play, allowing Downey to slide in at home for the go ahead run. The one run lead was all Mangine would need, as she tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth, ending the game catching Cortney Romyns (Newton, N.J.) looking with a strikeout.
The loss is the first of the season for Western Connecticut (6-1). The win improves Endicott to 5-1 in its young season. The Gulls return to work on Wednesday where they will meet Macalester and Trinity at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.
