April 5, 2009

Box Score - Game One / Box Score - Game Two

BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College softball team continued its hot start to the northern half of its schedule as the Gulls won their 10th consecutive game with a double-header sweep over the visiting University of New England, 15-6 and 8-6, in TCCC action on Sunday afternoon. The Gulls improve to 17-3 (8-0 TCCC) while the Nor'Easters fall to 12-7-1 (5-6-1 TCCC). Endicott's Meghan Sargent (Salisbury, Mass.) hit a pair of homeruns, one in each game, en route to going 4-for-7 with four RBI's and five runs scored on the day.

In game one, Endicott faced its first real adversity since returning from Florida when the Nor'Easters hung two runs on the board in the first inning and then followed that up with four more in the second. In the first, UNE received back-to-back singles from Megan Gaedje (Tolland, Conn.) and Lauren Webb (Jericho, Vt.) who both advanced into scoring position on the throw to third base. After a Marie Mantelli (Thompson, Conn.) strikeout, UNE's Ashley DePasquale (Uxbridge, Mass.) singled to left field, driving in both Gaedje and Webb.

The Gulls would go quietly in their half of the first following a lead-off single by Jenna Lazar (Milton, Mass.) before the Nor'Easters would extend their lead in the second inning. UNE would load the bases after sandwiching a walk between two singles. Megan Gaedje would come up to bat and stroked a two-RBI double into the right-center gap, plating two runs. Following a fielder's choice where Lazar cut down a run at the plate, the Nor'Easters loaded the bases again and DePasquale responded with her second two-RBI single of the game, extending the Nor'Easters lead to 6-0.

In their half of the second, Endicott would chip away at the lead as Sarah Spaziano (Norton, Mass.) hit a run-scoring double down the right field line, scoring Sargent to make the game 6-1.

UNE would go down 1-2-3 in the top half of the third as Jenna Bortolotti (Milton, Mass.) settled down to get a flyout and a pair of strikeouts in the frame. In the bottom half, the Gulls would make their push and capture the lead. With two runners on, Merry MacDonald (Braintree, Mass.) stepped to the plate and crushed an opposite field homerun into the rocks, scoring three runs and cutting into the Nor'easter lead, 6-4.

Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) and Spaziano would both single one batter later, putting two runners on for Hayley Hovhanessian (Farmington, Conn.). The leftfielder doubled down the left field line, scoring Wright easily as head coach Mark Veilleux waved on Spaziano to score. As the throw sailed into the catcher, the ball caromed off Ashley Gott's (Winterport, Maine) glove, allowing Spaziano to score while also giving enough time for Hovhanessian to sneak in the back door, giving Endicott the 7-6 advantage.

Both teams would go hitless in their respective halves of the fourth inning while Bortolotti held the Nor'Easters at bay in the top half of the fifth.

Endicott would pounce all over the Nor'Easters in their half of the fifth as the Gulls scored eight runs in the frame. The Gulls batted around the lineup, driving in six runs before Sargent stepped to the plate and hammered a two-run bomb to dead center field, closing out the game for Endicott, 15-6.

Jenna Bortolotti picked up her eighth win of the season while going five innings, striking out eight despite giving up six runs on seven hits. Lazar went a perfect 4-for-4 from the dish while scoring two runs while MacDonald went 2-for-4 with four RBI's.

UNE's Erin Lyons (Salem, N.H.) suffered the loss for the Nor'Easters as she gave up 13 earned runs in 4.2 innings. Ashley DePasquale went 2-for-3 with four RBI's and Megan Gaedje went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs driven in.

In game two, Sargent picked up right where she left off as she belted a two-run homerun in the home half of the first inning. Spaziano would later drive in Wright with an RBI single to give the Gulls an early 3-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Gulls, UNE's Ashley DePasquale carried over her performance from game one, nailing a two-run homer to right field in the following half inning to cut the Nor'Easter deficit to 3-2.

Endicott would respond with a run of its own in their half of the second when Jenna Lazar drove in Megan Downey (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) to give Endicott some breathing room at 4-2. After a quiet third inning, UNE would knot the game at four-all when Julie Monteiro (Portsmouth, R.I.) knocked in a pair of runs with her RBI double to left center field.

Both teams were held scoreless over the next two innings until the Gulls' final at-bat of the day. Jenna Lazar continued her perfect day, going 7-for-7 on Sunday, when she hit an infield single to start the bottom of the sixth inning. After a walk and a fielder's choice, Ashley Wright drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI single. Sarah Spaziano would follow with a two-RBI single that would extend Endicott's lead to 7-4 while chasing UNE's Amber Zablowsky (Rochester, Mass.) from the game. Endicott would add one more run before heading into the seventh inning, leading 8-4.

The Gulls would end up needing the last two runs they received as UNE scored a pair in the final inning. After a walk and two singles, including an RBI single by Webb, Jenna Bortolotti struck out Mantelli for the first out of the inning. Bortolotti had come into replace starter Jackie Collier (Swampscott, Mass.) 4.1 innings. DePasquale continued her hot steak with an RBI ground out, knifing into Endicott's lead 8-6. Jenna Bortolotti would respond by striking out Jennifer Waldecker (Hookset, N.H.) to end the game and send Endicott to a perfect 8-0 in the TCCC.

Bortolotti picked up her ninth win of the season by going 2.2 innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out three. Lazar went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate while Wright also was flawless, going 4-for-4. Sargent and Spaziano did most of the damage for Endicott by combining to go 4-for-8 with five RBI's.

For the Nor'Easters, Amber Zablowsky suffered the setback for UNE going 4.1 innings, giving up seven earned runs on 15 hits. Lauren Webb and Julie Monteiro each had multi-hit games while DePasquale and Monteiro each drove in a pair of runs.

Endicott returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Paxton, Mass. for a TCCC double-header against Anna Maria at 3:30 p.m. UNE returns back to Biddeford, Maine for a double-header with Eastern Nazarene at 3:30 p.m.