BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott softball team swept Western New England, 6-5 and 11-3 (6 inn.), to capture its third straight Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship on Saturday evening.
GAME ONE: Endicott 6, Western New England 5
WP (16-4): Maria Hanchuk (South Windsor, Conn.) – 7 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
LP (16-6): Megan Beebe (Ellington, Conn.) – 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Chloe Shapleigh (Lynnfield, Mass.) belted a pinch-hit grand slam to left center to put the Gulls ahead for good.
Endicott also saw Emma DaSilva (Bristol, R.I.) plate a runner with a sacrifice bunt in the second and Taylor Chelak (Westborough, Mass.) drive in a run with a single down the right field line in the fourth.
GAME TWO: Endicott 11, Western New England 3
WP (14-4): Jaylin Couto (Taunton, Mass.) – 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LP (16-7): Ava Blanchard (New Hartford, Conn.) – 3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Endicott scored at least one run in every inning but the second to complete the three-peat.
The Gulls' biggest frame came in the fifth as Caitlyn Romero (Southport, Conn.), Shapleigh (two-run double), Keelin Spencer (San Jose, Calif.), and Katie Watts (Swampscott, Mass.) all drove in runs for an eventual 9-3 advantage.
Meanwhile, Christina Nowicki (Chelsea, Mass.) finished off the Golden Bears in the sixth via a two-run double down the right field line to enforce the mercy rule and give Endicott its 16th conference championship in program history.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORES
- The Gulls have won conference championships in the following years: 1995, 1998-99, 2003-11, 2014, 2019-22.
- Shapleigh is 7-for-18 pinch hitting this season (four HRs, 16 RBI).
- In the CCC Tournament (5-0 record), Shapleigh went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, one double, two homers, and eight RBI in five pinch-hit plate appearances (.750/.600/2.500).
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (30-11) has earned the league's automatic qualifier into the 2022 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament. First round action is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 12.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled to air on www.ncaa.com on Monday, May 9 at 1 PM.
Western New England's season comes to a close at 28-15 overall.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
