Softball Splits NEC Doubleheader Against Bryant Wednesday

The Central Connecticut softball team split a Northeast Conference doubleheader against Bryant on Wednesday at CCSU Softball Field. The Blue Devils dropped game one, 5-0, before bouncing back with a 7-4 win in the second game. Central moves to 17-22 overall on the season and 4-10 in Northeast Conference play. CCSU closes out the regular season on Friday with a doubleheader at LIU Brooklyn.

In the day's first game, the Bulldogs used a four-run third inning to provide all the offense they would need. Gabrielle Ermish opened the scoring with a two-run single before Jessica Gradillas drove in a pair to push the lead to 4-0.

Bryant tacked on a run in the sixth inning to round out the 5-0 margin.

Freshman Kari Marks tossed a complete game for Central. She was charged with three earned runs and tallied 13 strikeouts in the loss.

Sophomore Sydney Bolan and freshman Alexa Milius each had two hits for the Blue Devils.

CCSU came back with a 7-4 win in the second game. The Blue Devils would jump out to a five-run lead in the opening two innings. Freshman Carli Backland hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the first and sophomore Kristen Ulmer singled home Bolan to make it 2-0.

The Bulldogs would get a run in the second before Central responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Junior Alicia Bertolino hit a two-run homerun to push the lead to 4-1. Back-to-back doubles by Backlund and Milius would account for two more runs to make it 6-1.

Bolan would single home freshman Rian Eigenmann in the fourth to push the lead to 7-1.

Bryant would score a pair of runs with two outs in the fifth to make it 7-3. In the seventh, the Bulldogs got a leadoff double before sophomore Ashley Antonazzo got two straight outs. Bryant would single in a run to make it 7-4 and had the tying run at bat, but Antonazzo ended the game with a ground out to seal the win.

Antonazzo struck out seven in 4.0 innings of work and got the win to go to 7-9 on the year.

Backlund and Bolan each had two hits. Backlund and Bertolino each finished with two runs batted in.

The Blue Devils close out the regular season on Friday at LIU Brooklyn.