SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – In the first of five consecutive days of doubleheaders, the Endicott softball team swept Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Western New Eng. with wins of 2-0 in game one and 4-2 in game two.
GAME ONE: Endicott 2, Western New Eng. 0
Endicott scored twice in the top of the second inning and saw sophomore pitcher Maggie Oram (Lexington, Mass.) throw a two-hit shutout with a career-high 11 strikeouts to earn a 2-0 game one victory over Western New Eng. Oram improved her pitching record to 9-1 on the year.
Endicott's offense came in the top of the second as the Gulls scored twice off Golden Bears starter Paige Uliase (Meriden, Conn.). Junior outfielder Olivia Odermatt (Cheshire, Conn.) hit a one-out, RBI single down the right field line that scored freshman Adrianna Favreau (Tewksbury, Mass.). Later in the inning with runners on first and third, the Gulls successfully pulled off a double steal with Danielle Stratton (Agawam, Mass.) stealing second base and Kayla Sheldon (Burlington, Mass.) swiping home to make it 2-0 Endicott.
Western New Eng. threatened in the bottom of the fourth by loading the bases but Oram managed to get all three outs via the strikeout and kept the Golden Bears off the board.
Gulls junior right fielder Gina DeMilt (Princeton, N.J.) went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple.
GAME TWO: Endicott 4, Western New Eng. 2
In game two, Endicott trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the sixth but thanks to a two-RBI double by Favreau and a sacrifice fly by Odermatt, the Gulls managed to garner a 4-2 win in game two and sweep Saturday's conference doubleheader.
Favreau's go-ahead double came after junior Jamie Hopgood (Warwick, R.I.) doubled to lead off the inning and senior Emily Sharpe (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) singled to put two runners on base. Favreau hit the ball down the left field line to score Sharpe and freshman pinch-runner Zoe Rose (Carlstadt, N.J.). Hayley Arduini (Southington, Conn.) singled to advance Favreau to third and Odermatt followed with a sacrifice fly out to centerfield to push Endicott on top 4-2.
In the circle, sophomore Michaela Hamill (Lynn, Mass.) pitched a complete game to up her pitching record to 7-1 this spring. She allowed two earned runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout. Western New Eng. managed to score twice off Hamill in the bottom of the third on a Cassidy Howe (North Andover, Mass.) two-RBI single.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (22-4, 10-2 CCC) visits Salve Regina on Sunday, April 22 for a conference doubleheader starting at 12:00 pm. Western New Eng. (17-15, 10-6 CCC) travels to Roger Williams on Sunday.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
