Posted: Apr 24, 2012
NEWPORT, R.I. – The Endicott softball team will head into their final conference doubleheader of the 2012 regular season atop the CCC standings with a 13-3 league record after splitting a pair of road games at Salve Regina on Tuesday.
Endicott (19-14-1, 13-3 CCC) takes on Western New England on Wednesday, April 25th for two games starting at 3:00 pm.
Game One: Endicott 7, Salve Regina 0
Box Score
Sophomore pitcher Nell O’Connor (Harwich, Mass.) baffled Salve Regina batters, holding the Seahawks to just two hits, and the Gulls amassed 13 hits in a 7-0 game one victory in CCC action.
O’Connor improved to 7-3 on the season after allowing just four baserunners on two hits and two walks while striking out four. Behind the sophomore’s effort in the circle, Endicott created separation between themselves and Salve Regina atop the conference standings in the week leading up the conference playoffs.
Junior Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs to lead the Gulls offense. Both of her RBIs came on a two-run homerun to centerfield in the top of the seventh to help put the game away.
A two-RBI single to right field by junior third baseman Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) capped off a three-run top of the sixth that saw Endicott increase their lead from 1-0 to 4-0.
Prior to that inning, the Gulls had held on to a one-run lead as they had jumped out 1-0 in the top of the first as sophomore Kelley Michael’s (Ipswich, Mass.) double down the right field line plated fellow sophomore Jesse Bilafer (Concord ,Mass.) who had doubled right in front of Michael.
Junior catcher Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) and freshman Jess Linden (Stratford, Conn.) both finished with two hits in the game.
Game Two: Endicott 3, Salve Regina 7
Box Score
Salve Regina got a three-RBI game out of Jillian Quintana (Denver, Colo.) and Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) pitched a complete game victory, allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in the night cap.
The Gulls were led with RBI hits by Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.), Nicole Devlin (Dudley, Mass.) and Fales which all came in the top of the sixth inning. Trailing 6-0, Katz drove in Bilafer with a double to left center followed by infield hits by Devlin and Fales which brought home Michael and Katz.
The Seahawks were able to tack on another run in the bottom half of the inning and except for a ground rule double by Bilafer, set down the Gulls in the seventh inning.
Endicott freshman Meg Donegan (Atkinson, N.H.) pitched well in relief as she struck out two batters in 1 1/3 innings pitched with one unearned run.
