Blue Devils Splilt An NEC Twinbill With Saint Francis

The host Central Connecticut State softball team split a Northeast Conference doubleheader with the Red Flash of Saint Francis University in New Britain on Friday afternoon, as the Blue Devils won game one, 2-0, behind a five-hit shutout from Liz Hamilton, but the visitors came back to win game two, 9-5, despite CCSU hitting three home runs.  With the split, Central is now 11-17 overall and 6-2 in conference play.  SFU is now 14-16 overall and 7-1 in the NEC.  Friday's game one victory by CCSU snaps a 35-game Northeast Conference regular season winning streak by Saint Francis.

GAME ONE vs. St. FRANCIS| BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 2, St. Francis 0
Records: CCSU (11-16, 6-1 NEC), St. Francis (13-16, 6-1 NEC)
Location: CCSU Softball Field |New Britain, Conn.

GAME TWO vs. St. FRANCIS| BOX SCORE

Score:  St. Francis 9, CCSU 5
Records: CCSU (11-17, 6-2 NEC), St. Francis (14-16, 7-1 NEC)
Location: CCSU Softball Field |New Britain, Conn.

KEY MOMENTS FRIDAY'S GAME ONE WIN:

• The Blue Devils scored the game's only runs in the bottom of the first inning on a pair of two-out RBI-singles by Grace Lawton and Abby Meehan.
• Liz Hamilton would make those two runs stand up, as she fired a five-hit shutout to raise her season record to 6-3.  In her seven innings of work, Hamilton fanned five batters and issued three walks in the complete game performance.
• Ashlyn Desaulniers went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored for the winners in Friday's opener.
• CCSU's victory in the opener snapped a 35-game NEC regular season winning streak by Saint Francis.

KEY MOMENTS FRIDAY'S NIGHTCAP:

• The Blue Devils got out to a 3-0 lead in game two, as Grace Lawton hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second, her first home of 2025, and Ashlyn Desaulniers crushed her third round-tripper of the year, a two-run shot in the bottom of the third.
• The Red Flash came back to score seven runs in the top of the fourth to grab a lead which the never relinquished.
• Kassandra (KC) Machado slugged her seventh home run of the year, a two-run blast in the bottom of the fifth to pull CCSU to within two at 7-5, but the visitors hit two solo home runs in the sixth inning to put the game away at 9-5.
• Grace Lawton and Skylar Warn each had two hits for Central in game two.
• Alina Varga (5-7) was the Central starter and loser in the nightcap working five innings.
• Gracie Granate came out of the Blue Devils' bullpen to work two scoreless innings to close out game two, allowing three hits with a pair of strikeouts.

NOTES:

• CCSU's game one win snapped a 35-game NEC regular season winning streak by Saint Francis.

UP NEXT:

• The Blue Devils and Red Flash play the rubber game of the three-game weekend series with a single game on Saturday scheduled for a 12 noon first pitch.