Seahawks sweep Anchorwomen for first time since 1996

NEWPORT, R.I. – The Salve Regina University softball team got homers from Nikki Bukovsky (Wesport, Conn.) and Genevieve Benoit (Swampscott, Mass.) as the Seahawks swept a doubleheader with Rhode Island College in non-conference action Thursday evening.

The Seahawks won game one 7-3, sparked by a four run third inning, and 6-2 in game two with 16 hits of off Anchorwomen pitcher Lauren DiScuillo (East Providence, R.I.). It is only the second time Salve Regina has swept Rhode Island College, last doing so on April 28, 1996.

The Seahawks scored first in both games and never trailed in either.

In the top of the second Katelyn Sykora (Waterford, Conn.) doubled which brought home Lauren Duvall (East Greenwich, R.I.) who scored unearned because of an error earlier in the inning. Nicole Parry (Quincy, Mass.) would get the next batter to fly out, retiring the side, but the Anchorwomen had tied the game.

The scoring got going again in the bottom of the third inning where the Seahawks blew the game open.

Katelyn McCaughey (Warwick, R.I.) began the inning by walking the leadoff batter Bukovsky. Figueiredo would sac-bunt Bukovsky to second, who then advanced to third after a wild pitch.  Benoit then singled to drive in Bukovsky making it 2-1 Salve Regina.

O'Riley then was walked to first and Lexi Soucie (North Easton, Mass.) followed with a single to load the bases for Courtney Nowicki (Northford, Conn.). Nowicki flew out to center field scoring Benoit and moving O'Riley to third.

With runners at the corners Lauren Fountain (Chesire, Conn.) was able to draw a two out walk loading the bases once again.

Then Taylor Parry (Quincy, Mass.) stepped into the batters box looking for her first career hit. After laying off the first two pitches Parry took a 2-0 pitch and grounded up the middle for a two run base hit that gave the Seahawks a 5-1 lead.

Francesca Galeazzi (Lynn, Mass.) quickly singled off Duvall to load the bases again for Bukovsky who had led off the inning, but Bukovsky would fly out ending a four hit four run inning where the Seahawks batted through the lineup.

The Anchorwomen fought back in the top of the fourth. With one out and a runner at first DiScuillo reached on a fielder's choice. Then Sykora homered to deep left field to draw Rhode Island College within two runs, 5-3.

Figueiredo began the bottom of the fourth by reaching first because of an error on a bunt attempt. Then Benoit crushed a 2-2 pitch to deep left field for a two run homer that put the Seahawks back up by four runs.

Kelsey Boarman (North Dighton, Mass.) would come on in relief of Parry for the top of the fifth.

No-one would reach base in the next three innings as both pitchers went 1-2-3, with Boarman closing out the top of the seventh to earn Salve Regina the victory in game one.

The Seahawks struck first in game two, again in the bottom of the first.

With runners at second and third Nowicki singled to bring in Bukovsky, then Julia Bowman (Woodsville, N.H.) singled to drive home Figueiredo and a 2-0 lead.

Lauren Duvall began the top of the second with a single but Sarah Molin (Seymour, Conn.) grounded into a double play. Sarah Nolan (Cranston, R.I.) struck out swinging to end the top of the inning.

After earning her first career hit in game one, Taylor Parry led off the bottom of the second with a double. After a Galeazzi groundout Bukovsky took DiScuillo deep for her third home run of the season and a 4-0 Salve Regina lead.

After a scoreless third the Anchorwomen were able to get on the board in the top of the fourth.

DiScuillo helped herself by singling and advancing to third on a Justina Thoma (Canterbury, Conn.) double. Duvall would groundout to third it scored DiScuillo to make it 4-1.

Thoma would advance to third on another groundout, but Boarman got Nolan to strike out looking to retire the side.

The Seahawks tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and threatened to win the game right then and there but DiScuillo was able to work around two bases loaded situations.

After already scoring one run the bases were loaded with no one out. Taylor Parry laid down a bunt to try and score another run but instead Nowicki was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice. 

Galeazzi would single to score Julia Bowman, and load the bases again in a 6-1 ballgame and only one out.

DiScuillo escaped the jam however by making Bukovsky ground into a double-play to end the inning.

The Anchorwomen got one run back in the sixth on a sac-fly from Thoma to score DiScuillo, who ended the game the losing pitcher, but with two hits and two runs scored.

Parry, who came in to relive Boarman in the fifth, gave up the one run in the sixth but struck out five to close out the game.

The Seahawks improve to 15-13 overall and will close out the 2015 season with road matches starting with Western New England on April 18 in a return to Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action.

The Anchorwomen fall to 5-15 and will host Eastern Connecticut State University on April 18 at 1 p.m.