Seahawks split with Gordon on Senior Day

NEWPORT, R.I. – The Salve Regina softball team fought through less than ideal conditions as the Seahawks split their Senior Day doubleheader against Commonwealth Coast Conference opponent, Gordon, Friday afternoon. The Seahawks won the first game 6-0 before falling to the Scots 3-0 in the nightcap.

SRU scored a pair of runs in the second and third inning of the first game to get out to a quick 4-0 lead over the Scots. Senior Jenn Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) drove in junior Sara Nelson (Bristol, Conn.) from first as she reached safely on a fielding error by the second baseman. Cruver crossed the plate on senior Ali Muehlbronner's (Glenside, Pa.) fifth triple of the season.

Cruver continued to help herself in the bottom of the third as she got hit by a pitch with Tthe bases loaded to bring him senior Megan Jakiela (Meridan, Conn.). Still with the bases loaded, Muehlbronner drew a four-pitch walk to bring home Nelson and give Salve Regina a 4-0 lead.

The Scots wasted their best scoring chance of the first game in the top of the fourth as junior Shannon Dodds (Audubon, Pa.) grounded out to short with two on and two out to kill the scoring threat.

Freshman Melissa Figueiredo (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) singled through the left side with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to drive home Muehlbronner to give the Seahawks a 5-0 lead before Salve Regina scored its last run of the game in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI-double from sophomore Lauren Nicholson (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) down the left field line to bring around Nelson.

Freshman Gianna Palermo (Hope, R.I.) singled to left with two outs in the top of the seventh but Cruver got freshman Alyssa Unumb (Bedford, Mass.) looking to end the game.

The Seahawks and the Scots each went down in order in the first inning and the Scots when down 1-2-3 in the second before junior Jennifer Edine (Warwick, R.I.) reached on an error in the bottom of the second for the first base runner of the game. Nelson joined Edine on the base baths after a throwing error by the catcher, but the Seahawks couldn't capitalize and the score remained 0-0 after two innings.

Once again the Scots went down in order in the third and Figueiredo picked up the first hit of the game with a triple to right in the bottom of the frame, but was left stranded at third.

With two on and no one out, junior Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.) singled through the right side to drive home freshman Marissa Meenan (Wayne, Pa.) and sophomore Rachel Ryder (Telford, Pa.) to give the Scots their first lead and first runs of the afternoon, 2-0.

Ryder added the Scots final run of the game with an RBI-double to left center to freshman Kiersten Bieren (Groton, Mass.) to give Gordon a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth.

Salve Regina put two runners on in the bottom of the fifth but could not bring them around and eventually fell to Gordon, 3-0 in the final game of the day.

Salve Regina gets back to the diamond on Sunday, April 21 as the Seahawks travel to Endicott for a CCC doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.