Posted: Mar 29, 2012
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott softball team played their first games since the Rebel Spring Games in Florida two weeks ago and hosted a doubleheader with Nichols in their CCC schedule opener. The Gulls took both games from the Bison to move their early season record above .500 to 6-5 (2-0 CCC). Nichols dropped to 5-9 overall and 0-4 in league action.
Game One: Endicott 9, Nichols 1 (6 inn.)
Box Score
After not hitting a single homerun in nine games during their Florida spring break games, Endicott cracked three long balls including a three-run blast by sophomore shortstop Kelley Michael (Ipswich, Mass.) in the bottom of the fifth inning. Michael’s homerun, the first of her career, was part of a four-run, fifth inning rally to give the Gulls a comfortable 7-1 lead late in the game.
Homeruns by juniors Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.), a solo line drive shot over the right field wall, and Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), a deep drive off the rocks in right in the fifth, also contributed to Endicott’s offensive outburst.
On the mound for the Blue and Green, freshman pitcher Cam Sprague (Clifton Park, N.Y.) allowed one unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out six Bison to even her record to 2-2 on the season.
Endicott scored first in the bottom of the first on an RBI single up the middle by Alexandra Moise (North Reading, Mass.) that plated Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.). Moise would also swipe her team-leading sixth bag of the season in this game.
In top of the fourth, Nichols evened the score as senior Lauren Correia (Seekonk, Mass.) led off the inning with a double to left. She advanced to third on a hit by sophomore Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) and later scored on an error. Correia and Watkins were the only Bison batters to reach base via a hit.
Russo collected two RBIs in the bottom half of the fourth on a hard-hit single to left that scored Jess Linden (Stratford, Conn.) and Nicole Devlin (Dudley, Mass.) to put Endicott back on top 3-1.
The Gulls would score four runs in the fifth and two more in the bottom of the sixth on Katz’s homerun and a walk-off double by Michael to score Devlin, her third hit of the game. Michael finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBI and a run scored.
Game Two: Endicott 5, Nichols 0
Box Score
In game two, Gulls hurler Nell O’Connor (Harwich, Mass.) picked up her first win of the season by going seven shutout innings with just three hits allowed, no walks and two punch outs. The sophomore lowered her ERA to 1.66 after her performance against Nichols.
Her Bison counterpart, freshman Taylor Ferrazzi (Ashland, Mass.), pitched well in the circle but struggled with nine hits and six free passes. She dropped to 1-3 on the season.
Endicott once again got their bats going in the bottom of the first after Russo walked and sophomore Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) sacrificed her over into scoring position. After advancing to third on a groundout to short, Russo scored on a Martin RBI single up the middle to put the Gulls ahead 1-0.
The Gulls tacked on another one in the third on a bases loaded, no out situation that saw a fielder’s choice bring in Linden from third. Nichols escaped the jam after shortstop Emalee Watkins snagged a liner off the bat of Martin and gunned out the runner on first base who was too far off the bag for the double play.
Katz and Michael recorded RBI hits in the fifth inning and a squeeze bunt by Moise to plate Bilafer in the sixth capped off the scoring for the Gulls in game two.
Endicott will host CCC foe Eastern Nazarene on Saturday, March 31st starting at 12:00 pm for two games. Nichols travels to Wentworth for two conference games against the Leopards on the same day.
