Vanelli's walk-off HR lifts Seahawks to sweep; Fluke picks up two victories

NEWPORT, R.I. (Friday, April 2, 2021) - Junior second baseman Nikki Vanelli (Quakertown, Pa.) drilled a 1-2 pitch from reliever Megan Beebe (Ellington, Conn.) over the left field fence for a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Salve Regina University an 8-7 victory over Western New England University and a sweep of the doubleheader at Toppa Field in Newport, Rhode Island. The extra-inning heroics made a winner out of reliever Maddy Fluke (Douglas, Mass.) who improves to 3-1 after also earning the complete-game shutout in Game One, 7-0, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) softball action.

Game One Summary

Salve Regina sophomore third baseman Sophia Strazza (Wilton, Conn.) tripled down the right field line to drive in Lauren Packer (Manchester, Conn.) and Kendall Duprey (Cranston, R.I.) for the first two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Strazza later scored when Emilee Angell (Whitinsville, Mass.) reached on an error.

Packer added to the lead in the third with a two-run single that plated freshmen Maddie Capetta (Raritan, N.J.) and Christina Braid (Franklin Lakes, N.J.). Braid hit her fourth home run in five games, a two-run shot that scored Capetta, in the bottom of the fifth. Fluke finished with a 1-2-3 in the seventh on a strikeout and a pair of groundouts to Vanelli at second base. Fluke had eight strikeouts while blanking the Golden Bears. Capetta, Braid, and Packer each had multiple hits in the opener.

Game Two Summary

Western New England jumped out to a 6-0 lead with one run in the third - a leadoff double by Inez Baez Flores (Springfield, Mass.) followed by a sac bunt by Taylor Keegan (Bristol, Conn.) and a sac fly from Lexie Hemstock (Cheshire, Conn.) - and five in the fourth - Hemstock providing a two-run double for the big hit in the inning while a wild pitch and a couple of Seahawk errors led to unearned runs.

The second biggest inning of the week for Salve Regina came in the bottom of the fifth of Game Two when the Seahawks scored six runs to tie the score. On Wednesday against Curry at Milton, Mass., Salve Regina crossed the plate nine times in the bottom of the fourth on a school-record five home runs in the frame. Talia Williams (Woonsocket, R.I.) started the rally with a pinch-hit double. Center fielder Francesca Rubino (Burlington, Mass.) was re-inserted as a baserunner and came home from third after Vanelli stole second and the catcher's throw to third bounced off Rubino's back. Right fielder Kaitlyn Bennett (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) singled up the middle to score Vanelli, and Capetta later singled in Bennett for a 6-3 score.

Duprey doubled in Braid and Packer to pull the Seahawks within one, 6-5. Strazza doubled in pinch-runner Drew Ceppetelli (Barrington, N.H.) to tie the score.

Anna Mihalek (Farmington, Conn.) started for the Seahawks and pitched three innings with just four hits allowed (no walks) and two earned runs. Reliever Julia Coute (North Dighton, Mass.) pitched 2.1 innings and did not allow an earned run. Fluke inherited a bases-loaded one-out situation in the sixth before striking out Hemstock and getting Paige Baca (Loma Linda, Calif.) to bounce to second.

The Golden Bears advanced their extra-inning baserunner to third on a ground out that bounced off Fluke's leg to first baseman Packer. After some recovery tosses to test her leg, Fluke bounced a pitch in the turf that allowed Maggie Marquardt (Enfield, Conn.) to put the Golden Bears back on top, 7-6.

Vanelli's third home run of the season was her second-ever walk-off blast at Toppa Field - in her freshman season two years ago (April 4, 2019) Vanelli hit a dramatic two-run blast against UMass Dartmouth. Packer finished the nightcap with three hits while Bennett, Capetta, and Duprey each had two. Seahawks have homered in all six games this season and now have totalled 11 roundtrippers.

Salve Regina (4-2, 4-2 CCC) travels to Springfield, Mass., on Saturday to continue the six-game series with Western New England (0-2, 0-2 CCC).