Saturday, April 10, 2010

SOFTBALL DROPS BOTH GAMES TO NEC RIVAL CENTRAL CONNECTICUT SATURDAY AT HOME

Box Score #1 / Box Score #2

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After falling behind 7-3 after four innings in game two Saturday, the Bryant University softball team rallied to come back and force extra innings, but ultimately fell short losing 10-8 to NEC foe Central Connecticut State at home. The Blue Devils routed the Bulldogs 14-2 in game one.  

Bryant has now dropped 13 consecutive games and drops to 3-26 overall for the season. The Black and Gold are still seeking their first Northeast Conference win of the 2009-10 campaign.

Central Connecticut improves to 13-20 for the season and 4-4 in the NEC.  

The Blue Devils lit up the scoreboard in the first three innings of game one Saturday, putting up one in the first, four in the second and nine in the third to take a commanding lead early on Saturday afternoon.

Bryant picked up one run in the bottom of the first inning on an Ashley Coon (Levittown, Pa.) single up the middle. Coon's single scored the freshman outfielder, Kate Murray (Fitchburg, Mass.), who tripled in the previous at bat.

The Bulldogs only other run in game one came in the bottom of the fourth inning off a Christina Eringis (Tewksbury, Mass.) solo homerun to left center. Due to the eight run mercy rule, the game was called final after five innings of play.

Central's Liz Montemurro picked up the win in game one while Bryant's Sami Houseal (Mount Joy, Pa.) took the loss.

The bats finally came alive for the Bulldogs in game two of the doubleheader as they accumulated 11 hits and eight runs in nine innings of play.

CCSU picked up right where it left off in game two, scoring two in the top of the first inning. Following two Bulldog runs in the bottom of the first, the Blue Devils regained the lead with three more runs of their own in the top of the second.

Junior Regi Burdo (Wayne, Pa.) reached base on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the second inning and was moved over to third following a single by Murray through the right side of the infield. Coon was given the chance again for the Bulldogs and delivered with a single to right field, plating Burdo to cut the deficit to 5-3 after two innings of play. It was Coon's second hit of the game and third of the afternoon to that point.

A persistent Blue Devil team added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning off freshman pitcher Jennifer Jacob (Deer Park, N.Y.) to take a 7-3 lead.

The Bulldogs began the comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning as Murray led off with a walk. In an unusual situation, the Bulldogs' ace pitcher Houseal was called in to pinch run for Murray. She advanced to second on a Coon fielder's choice and was moved to third on a Brittany Lischinsky (Mahopac, N.Y.) sacrifice bunt. Jacob walked in the next Bryant at bat to load the bases for Eringis. The freshman third baseman picked up her seventh RBI of the season on a groundout to the second baseman, scoring Houseal. It was the first run scored of Houseal's career. Sophomore Laura Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) singled up the middle to pick up two RBIs and bring the Bulldogs' deficit to just one run, down 7-6.

The Blue Devils responded with one run in the top of the sixth inning to take a 8-6 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Down two in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bulldogs had to get at least two runs if they had any shot at breaking their 12-game losing streak. Coon led off the inning for the Bulldogs with her third hit of the game, a single through the left side. The senior captain was 3-4 in the game and 4-7 on the day. With heads up base running, Coon advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch and to third on a Lischinsky groundout.

Freshman pitcher Kelly Cocco (Vernon, Conn.), who had relieved Jacob, followed with a walk to put the tying run on first base with one out. Jacob re-entered into the game to pinch run for Cocco and immediately stole second base. CCSU's catcher, Kat Knowles, threw down to second base to try and nab the stealing Jacob but the throw was offline. Using heads up base running, Coon took off for home on the throw down to second base and made it in safely to bring the score to 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh with Eringis coming up to the plate.

The Massachusetts native doubled to the right center gap and plated Jacob to tie the game at eight apiece. Eringis moved over to third on a Bowen groundout but would stall there as senior captain Ali Chouinard (Swansea, Mass.) lined out to the shortstop for the third out of the inning.

The rival teams played the eighth inning scoreless, but CCSU picked up two runs in the top of the ninth on a series of singles. The centerfielder, Becca Mussatti, had the game-winning single in the top of the ninth for the Blue Devils. Mussatti picked up two RBIs on the hit and concluded her 6-10 day at the plate.

Coon led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk but would be stranded there as the next three Bulldogs were retired in succession.

The Blue Devils outhit the Bulldogs 16-11 in the contest and 32-17 on the afternoon.

Montemurro earned her second win of the day in game two and Bryant freshman Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) took the loss.

The Bulldogs return to action tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. when they host NEC foe Fairleigh Dickinson at the Bryant Softball Complex. The Black and Gold will be looking to snap a 13-game losing-streak and pick up the first conference victory of the season.