Seahawks sweep CCC twinbill

NEWPORT, R.I. – The Salve Regina softball team didn't let the bitter cold cool down the bats as the Seahawks swept their Commonwealth Coast Conference opener against Eastern Nazarene, Monday afternoon. The Seahawks won 9-2 in the opening game and completed the sweep with a 9-0 victory in the nightcap. 

Playing as the visiting team on their home field, the Seahawks evened their record to 7-7 on the year and opened CCC play 2-0 while the Lions fell to 2-10 and 0-2 in the conference. 

After each starting pitcher faced the minimum number of batters through the first inning and a half, senior Jillian Quintana (Denver, Colo.) broke open the scoring with her second home run of the season. Quintana worked the count full and after fighting off the 10^th pitch of the at bat, she sent the 11^th pitch she saw deep over the left field fence to give Salve Regina a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. 

With two outs and runners on second and third in the top of the fourth, junior Jennifer Edine (Warwick, R.I.) doubled down the left field line to clear the bases and give the Seahawks a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth. The Lions answered back in the home half of the inning as junior Abigail Moore (Sheridan, Calif.) singled to left field to score sophomore Kori Sorensen (Quincy, Mass.) to cut the Salve Regina lead to 3-1. 

SRU broke the game open with two runs in the top of the fifth and four more in the top of the sixth to take a 9-1 lead. Sophomore Lauren Nicholson (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) led off the fifth just as Quintana started the second, though after seeing half as many pitches. Nicholson drove the ball over the left center fence for her first home run of the season. Quintana drove the final run of the inning home as she reached base safely on an error to allow senior Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) to cross the plate giving SRU a 5-1 advantage. 

After the Lions retired Salve Regina's lead off hitter to start the sixth, the Seahawks rattled off four-straight singles to push their lead to 7-1. Cruver laced a single up the middle to score junior Sara Nelson (Bristol, Conn.) before senior Ali Muehlbronner (Glendside, Pa.) followed with a single to right to score Nicholson. Freshman Melissa Figueiredo (East Bridgewater, Mass.) brought the final two runs of the inning home as she attempted to give her self up with a sac bunt, but a misplay by the Lions pitcher allowed two runs to score giving Salve Regina a 9-1 lead. 

Eastern Nazarene scored the final run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth after a throwing error by the Seahawks third baseman allowed Sorensen to reach base and push the runners to second and third, sophomore Carissa Cicolini cashed in on another Seahawk error, reaching first safely and brought home junior Cayla Clinkscale to bring the score to its final, 9-2. 

With runners on first and second and two outs, Cruver got Clinkscale to go down swinging to end the game and hand Salve Regina its first conference win of the season.

Salve Regina was held hitless through the first 2.2 innings in the second game, but after a pair of walks and a fielder's choice loaded the bases, senior Megan Jakiela (Meriden, Conn.) broke up the no-hitter in a big way. With two outs and the count at 1-1, Jakiela unloaded and laced the ball down the left field line and cleared the fence for her first home run of her Salve Regina career and the Seahawks third of the twin bill. The Seahawks led 4-0 after three innings. 

Nicholson added to the Seahawk lead in the top of the fourth as she came around to score on an errant throw by the Lions catcher to second base. 

Salve Regina did the rest of its damage in the top of the seventh; plating four more runs to push its lead to 9-0. Junior Marissa Simpson (Brimfield, Mass.) and Quintana led off the frame with back-to-back singles before successfully completing a double steal to put to two runners in scoring position. Jakiela collected her fifth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center to score Simpson before Edine and Nelson kept the hit parade going with back-to-back singles, as Nelson drove home Quintana with a base knock to center. Cruver put the finishing touches on the scoring for the Seahawks with a two-run blooper single to right to bring around Nelson and Edine. 

Freshman Dominique Burnham (Scarborough, Maine) came out in relief of Cruver in the bottom of the sixth and threw two scoreless innings to wrap up the game for Salve Regina. In the bottom of the seventh, Burnham got Moore swinging and caught freshman Krystal Holl (Hagerstown, Md.) looking before inducing a weak ground ball from junior Sam Losano (Elverta, Calif.) to close the book on the Lions. 

Cruver started both games for Salve Regina, throwing a total of 12.0 strong innings, allowing just two runs, one earned, on 13 hits and four walks while striking out five. 

Quintana, Cruver, Simpson and Edine each had three hits in the doubleheader and Jakiela paced the line up with five RBI. Every Salve Regina starter collected at least one hit on the afternoon. 

Sorensen suffered the loss in the first game for the Lions, going the full seven innings, giving up nine runs, six earned, on 12 hits while not allowing a walk and striking out five. Freshman Britny Costa (New Bedford, Mass.) took the loss in the nightcap after giving up nine runs, four earned, on eight hits and six walks. Costa struck out four Seahawks. 

Salve Regina gets right back to the diamond as the Seahawks welcome Nichols to Toppa Field for a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 4 p.m.