Seahawks travel to Bristol to host Hawks

BRISTOL, R.I. - With its regular home site, Toppa Field in Newport, not yet ready, the Salve Regina University softball team hit the road to face Roger Williams University on the Hawks' home site, Paolino Field in Bristol. The two longtime cross state rivals split a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader with the "visiting" Hawks winning the opener, 4-3, and the traveling Seahawks taking the nightcap, 3-1.

Salve Regina (5-9, 3-1 CCC) returns home to Toppa Field on Thursday to host Gordon College (3 p.m.) in a conference twinbill. After splitting with one of the league's pre-season top picks, Roger Williams (6-7, 2-2 CCC) faces the other top pick, Endicott College, on Friday at 2 p.m.

Seahawk starter in game one, sophomore Kelsey Boarman (No. Dighton, Mass.), mowed down the first seven batters she faced - two on strikes, and four on tappers back to the pitcher's circle - before allowing an unearned run with one out in the third.

Sophomore infielder Meredith Moise (N. Reading, Mass.), batting in the ninth spot of the Hawks' order, laced an RBI double to left center for her team's first hit and the game's first run in the top of the third inning.

Boarman's offense responded in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore outfielder Skye Hart (Hope Valley, R.I.) and freshman infielder Francesca Galeazzi (Lynn, Mass.) led off the frame with consecutive singles and moved up a base on a passed ball. After a flyout and a fielder's choice loaded the bases, junior catcher Genevieve Benoit (Swampscott, Mass.) gave Salve Regina the lead with a two-run single through the right side.

Starter Meghan Maliga (Suffield, Conn.) got out of further damage and stranded two Seahawks on base. The junior right hander limited Salve Regina to just one more run - a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth for CCC's leading hitter and reigning player of the week, Nikki Bukovsky (Westport, Conn.) - while finishing with a complete-game victory to improve to 4-2.

Moise started a three-run rally for Roger Williams with a leadoff single in the top of the sixth. After outfielder Taylor Messier (Cranston, R.I.) sacrificed her to second, pinch hitter Valerie Moran (Syosset, N.Y.) delivered a game-tying single to right field, and then took second on the throw. Hawks' catcher Mikaela Grosso (West Warwick, R.I.) also flared a single to right field for the go-ahead run, and provided insurance when she came home on Hayley Ledbetter's (Westerly, R.I.) triple.

In game two, Nicole Parry (Quincy, Mass.) repeated Boarman's strong start, striking out three of the first four Hawks she faced, each looking.

With two outs in the bottom of the second, back-to-back doubles by Lauren Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) and Hart produced a 1-0 lead for Salve Regina. The Seahawks cushioned the lead in the fifth inning when outfielder Lexi Soucie (No. Easton, Mass.) ripped a two-run single to score Bukovsky and Melissa Figueiredo (East Bridgewater, Mass.).

Hawks' game two starter Tori Milano (Eastchester, N.Y.) allowed her third hit of that inning, a one-out single to Kristen Hickey (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) off the third-base bag, before the Roger Williams' defense recorded two outs on the play - erasing Kara O'Riley (Acton, Mass.) at home plate trying to score from second, and then Soucie was caught at third.

Messier led off the top of the sixth with a double and scored on Grosso's single, but Parry retired the side in the seventh, after a lead-off single, to raise her record to 3-4.

Hart finished with four hits on the day.