Seahawks split CCC doubleheader with Hawks

BRISTOL, R.I. - After losing game one by a score of 10-6, the Salve Regina University softball team blanked Roger Williams University, 14-0, in the nightcap to earn a split during a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.

The Hawks have their five-game winning streak halted with the split, moving to 10-12 overall and 7-3 in the conference. Salve Regina now sits at 11-9 overall and 6-2 in CCC play.

In the opener, the Hawks opened with two runs in the bottom of the first on a two-run homerun by Rachel Ehrlich (Southport, Conn.), her first of the season. RWU would then go on to put five more runs on the board in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead. Kaitlyn Costa (Cranston, R.I.) had the big hit for the Hawks with a bases-clearing, three-RBI double to center.

Salve Regina would not be deterred as the Seahawks scored five unearned runs of their own in the following inning to pull back within two. Ali Muehlbronner (Glenside, Pa.) and Jillian Quintana (Denver, Colo.) notched back-to-back, two-RBI doubles to help the Seahawk cause.Roger Williams answered with three more runs in the fifth, two of which came on a two-RBI single by Caroline Atkinson (Milford, Mass.).

Salve added one more on an RBI single by Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, Mass.), but the Hawks held on in the end for the win.Jaclyn Doolin (Miller Place, N.Y.) got her sixth win of the year, allowing six runs (one earned) in seven innings with five strikeouts. She also was 3-for-4 with two runs to help her cause. Costa went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI, while Atkinson was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run. Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) was tagged with all ten runs in the loss for Salve Regina.

Kristen Parolise (Hamden, Conn.) went 3-for-3 with a run scored, with Quintana adding two hits and two RBI apiece.

In the second game, the Seahawk offense went to work throughout the contest, scoring at least one run in every inning while doing the most damage in the fourth. In that frame, Salve Regina got RBI hits from four different batters, including a three-run double by Zeena Barbarita (Johnston, R.I.).

Pitching-wise, Cruver and starter Marissa Simpson (Brimfield, Mass.) combined for five innings of shutout ball, scattering six hits and four walks throughout the game. Cruver earned the win for Salve Regina in relief.

Offensively, three players for the Seahawks finished with  at least three hits, two runs, and two RBI, including Dinan (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Simpson (3-3, 3 R, 2 RBI), and Quintana (3-3, 2 R, 3 RBI), Barbarita went 2-for-2, with three runs and game-high five RBI.

Kara Lewis (Taunton, Mass.) took the loss for RWU, allowing seven runs (five earned) in 2.1 innings. Doolin was 2-for-3 at the dish for the Hawks.

Roger Williams hosts UMass-Dartmouth next Wednesday, while Salve Regina hosts Western New England tomorrow.

Courtesy of Roger Williams sports information