Gulls slide by Seahawks with pair of one-run wins

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott softball team got go-ahead homeruns in both games of a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader against Salve Regina on Sunday afternoon, as the Gulls earned 2-1 and 4-3 wins over the Seahawks to clinch the top seed in the upcoming CCC Tournament. 

Endicott (18-16, 17-1 CCC) took time prior to the start of the doubleheader to recognize Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.), Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.), Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), and Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) with Senior Day festivities as this particular class has seen the Gulls softball program amass a 106-43-2 (70-11-1 CCC) record, three CCC Championships, three NCAA Regional Tournament appearances, and an ECAC Championship. 

Above .500 for the first time this season, the Gulls will wrap up their regular season with a tough, non-conference test at home for two games against #6 Tufts on Tuesday starting at 3:30 pm. Salve Regina (21-17, 11-7 CCC) will await for the official seeding for the CCC Tournament to find out who their next opponent will be. 

Game One: Endicott 2, Salve Regina 1
Colleen Martin delivered the go-ahead homerun in the bottom of the fourth inning with the game tied 1-1 and Endicott junior pitcher Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) kept the game-tying run from scoring in a two-out bases loaded situation in the top of seventh to improve to 10-2 on the year. 

O'Connor hurled a complete-game, allowing just one earned run on seven hits and a walk while striking out a career-high seven batters.  The junior has defeated every single team in the CCC as she sports a 9-0 record in league play with a 0.79 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 53.0 innings pitched.  She also has one save on the year.

Salve Regina jumped out to a 1-0 lead as senior Jillian Quintana (Denver, Colo.) hit a two-out double to right center that scored Marissa Simpson (Brimfield, Mass.).  In the bottom of the second, the Gulls would tie the game on a Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) sacrifice fly to left that scored Martin from third.  Two innings later, Martin would hit the go-ahead bomb, her sixth of the season.

In the circle for the Seahawks, senior Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) dropped to 21-14 on the year despite throwing six solid innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two.  She also finished with two hits at the plate. 

Game Two: Endicott 4, Salve Regina 3
Salve Regina junior Jennifer Edine (Warwick, R.I.) knocked a game-tying double to center in the top of the sixth to knot the scoreboard at 3-3, but Endicott delivered a walk-off win in game two as DiBella crushed a 1-2 offering from Dominique Burnham (Scarborough, Maine) over the fence to give the Gulls the 4-3 win.

Burnham had come on in relief of Cruver in the bottom of the fifth, struck out the side both the fifth and sixth innings, and got the first Endicott out in the bottom of the seventh until DiBella's blast ended the game.

Endicott freshman Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) earned the win (3-2) by pitching two shutout innings in relief of sophomore Cameron Sprague (Clifton Park, N.Y.) who went the first five innings, allowing three runs on four hits while punching out six. 

The Blue and Green jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  Junior Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) roped a double to left center to plate Russo and later scored on a Fales groundout to second base.  After hits by Martin and Kelley Michael (Ipswich, Mass.) put runners on second and third with one out, Katz doubled to left center to score Martin to make it 3-0 Endicott.

Sprague then held Salve Regina scoreless for five innings until the Seahawks led off the top of the sixth with a single by Melissa Figueiredo (East Bridgewater, Mass.), a single by Cruver, and a hit-by-pitch on Ali Muehlbronner (Glenside, Pa.) to load the bases for Edine who tied the game.