Seahawks win play in game, advance in CCC tournament

NEWPORT, R.I. – The salve Regina softball team walked off with an 8-0 win over Gordon in the Commonwealth Coast Conference play in game, Saturday afternoon at Toppa Field. After taking a 7-0 lead into the sixth inning, senior Jillian Quintana (Denver, Colo.) hit a sacrifice fly to score junior Marissa Simpson (Brimfield, Mass.) and give the Seahawks 8-0 win over Gordon.

Salve Regina plated a pair of runs in the first and the second inning to take a quick 4-0 lead. Senior Ali Muehlbronner (Glenside, Pa.) led off the game with a double to center field before coming around to score on a groundout from Simpson. Junior Jennifer Edine (Warwick, R.I.) pushed the Seahawks lead to 2-0 with a single up the middle to score freshman Melissa Figueiredo (East Bridgewater, Mass.). Senior Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) helped herself out with an RBI single before Figueiredo brought Cruver home to give Salve Regina a 4-0 lead.

After a quiet third from both teams, Cruver set Gordon down in order in the top of the fourth. Salve Regina added three more runs to push its lead to 7-0 after four innings on four hits in the inning. Muehlbronner singled home Cruver before Figueiredo brought home Muehlbronner with a sacrifice fly. Senior Megan Jakiela (Meriden, Conn.) extended Salve Regina's lead with a single to score Simpson and give SRU a 7-0 lead in the foruth.

Cruver pitched her second 1-2-3 inning of the game in the fifth to keep Gordon at bay. Salve Regina had a chance to end the game in the fifth with a runner in scoring position with two outs but Gordon got out of the inning unscathed.

Gordon got a runner on in the top of the sixth but Cruver got a strike out and induced a groundout to end the inning before Quintana ended the game with a sacrifice fly.

Cruver got the win for Salve Regina sending the Seahawks into the CCC tournament with a win under their belt. The Seahawks will play number-four seeded University of New England at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, April 29.