Softball Wins Two at UMass Lowell on Thursday
The CCSU softball team topped UMass Lowell twice on Thursday afternoon and have now won 14 of its last 15 games.
The Central Connecticut softball team swept UMass Lowell in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at River View Field in Lowell, MA. Central topped the Riverhawks 2-0 in game one before earning a 7-6, 10-inning victory in game two. With the victories CCSU improves to 25-8 overall on the season and has won 14 of its last 15 games. UMass Lowell drops to 15-27 on the year with the setbacks.
Game #1 - CCSU 2, UML 0
Senior Laura Messina recorded her 12th shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over the Riverhawks in game one on Thursday afternoon. Messina pitched a complete game four-hitter and struck out nine to lead the Blue Devils to victory.
CCSU accounted for all of the scoring in game one with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Freshman Brittany Camara lined a two-out single to left field with runners on second and third to give Central the deciding 2-0 margin. Junior Evie Rentzel and sophomore Sami Duffy scored on the play.
Rentzel led off the inning with a walk followed by junior Hannah Cooper, who attempted to move her over with a sacrifice bunt. Cooper got the bunt down successfully and the Riverhawks throw to first was errant, allowing Rentzel to move all the way over to third and Cooper to be safe at first. Duffy pinch ran for Cooper and stole second base, setting the table for Camara's two-RBI single.
Camara was the lone Blue Devil to record multiple hits in game one. The rookie finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and the two RBI's. Central tallied six hits in the win. Senior's Ashley Black and Kat Malcolm, along with junior's Rentzel and Mackenzie Keyes accounted for the remaining four hits for CCSU.
Messina needed 116 pitches (77 strikes) to earn the win in the circle. She faced 26 UMass Lowell batters, just five over the minimum, to improve her record to 20-4 on the season. She lowers her ERA to 0.89 and has twirled 23 complete games in 25 starts this season.
Game #2 - CCSU 7, UML 6
Freshman Tori Constantin singled in the top of the 10th inning to plate Malcolm to lift the Blue Devils to a 7-6 extra-inning victory in game two on Thursday. The 10 inning game is the longest for the Blue Devils so far this season and marked the second extra-inning victory on the year.
The Blue Devils again jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Constantin blasted a two-run home run down the left field line to give Central the early advantage. The home run was the fifth of the season for the rookie and scored Rentzel who reached on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning.
The Riverhawks responded and cut the CCSU lead in half with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Abby Jamieson walked and then advanced to third after a single down the right field line by Alisha Welch to put runners on the corners with one out. One batter later, Jamieson would come in to score on a RBI groundout to make it 2-1 Central.
The Blue Devils would answer immediately, extending their lead back to two runs with one in the top of the fifth inning. Junior Katie Schmidt ripped a clutch, two-out double down the left field line to bring home Duffy all the way from first, who pinch ran for Cooper after she singled earlier in the frame.
It was then UMass Lowell's turn to punch back and they did so in a big way. The Riverhawks batted around the order in the bottom of the fifth to take their first lead of the afternoon, 5-3. RBI singles by Jamieson and Melissa King highlighted the four-run inning for Lowell.
However, Central did not quit and responded with a huge inning of their own in the top of the sixth to retake the lead, 6-5. Three straight hits by the Blue Devils, capped off by a RBI single up the middle from junior Eileen Purcell, started the rally for CCSU. Rentzel then drove in a second run with a sacrifice fly, followed by a RBI single up the middle by Cooper to put the Blue Devils back in front.
The back and forth affair continued and when the Riverhawks were down to their last out, Brianna Martin doubled to left center to plate the tying run and send the game into extra innings.
Then in the bottom of the 10th, CCSU finally broke through with a run to earn the victory. Malcolm singled through the right side to lead off the inning and and then stole second after a failed sacrifice bunt attempt and fly out. With two outs, Constantin was the hero and laced a RBI single to score Malcolm.
Messina earned the win in relief. She came on in the sixth and pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. She struck out five to tally 14 total strikeouts on the afternoon. She is now 21-4 on the season.
Freshman Emily Sargent started for CCSU, twirling the first four innings and allowing four runs on three hits and four walks. She struck out one.
Constantin, Malcolm and Cooper all logged multi-hit games in game two. Constantin led the way finishing three-for-five with a home run and two RBI's.
The Blue Devils will return to the diamond with Northeast Conference action this weekend, hosting a pair of doubleheaders on the CCSU Softball Field. They will first welcome Saint Francis U on Saturday for two games beginning at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m followed by a doubleheader on Sunday with the first place Robert Morris Colonials. The contests with the Colonials will begin at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and will be also be Senior Day as it is the final regular season home series for Central.