Messina, CCSU Softball Sweep Hartford
Blue Devils take two in their home opener on Tuesday
Senior pitcher Laura Messina picked up a win and a save in a doubleheader sweep over Hartford on Tuesday for the Central Connecticut softball on Tuesday afternoon in New Britain. Messina won her fourth game of the season in a 2-0 win in game one. She recorded her first career save in the nightcap as the Blue Devils won 9-6. The Blue Devils are now 6-0 on the season with the sweep.
In game one the Blue Devils struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. The runs would prove to be the only scoring of the first game of the afternoon.
Freshman Tori Constantin grounded out to the shortstop with runners on second and third to plate the first run of the game. Junior Eileen Purcell's sacrifice fly scored the second and gave the Blue Devils the 2-0 lead.
Messina posted her fourth win of the season in game one, throwing her third shutout of the year while striking out 13 batters. She reached 750 career strikeouts in the game and pitched her 99th career complete game. Messina allowed six hits in the win.
In game two the Blue Devils jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and then scored four more runs in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead.
In the first inning a two-RBI single from junior Evie Rentzel, RBI doubles from junior Katie Schmidt and Purcell and an RBI single from Constantin scored the five runs for the Blue Devils.
In the second inning, when the Blue Devils scored four, Purcell hit a two-run home run to start the scoring. It was her first of the season. On Monday she was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week. Catcher Hannah Cooper added an RBI single in the inning for the Blue Devils.
Hartford chipped away at the Blue Devils lead, scoring two in the fourth, three in the fifth and one more in the sixth inning to make it 9-6.
That's when Messina came into the game to shut the door in the sixth inning and pitch a scoreless ninth to earn her first career save.
The Blue Devils return to action this weekend traveling to South Florida for their second tournament of the 2015 season.