Springfield, Mass. - April 6, 2016 - Highlighted by a two-out, bases-loaded, game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning off the bat of senior Melissa Nelson (Milford, Conn.), the Springfield College softball team split a pair of non-conference games with Western Connecticut on Wednesday afternoon at Potter Field.

With the split, the Pride is now 11-7 overall, while the Colonials are 9-11 on the season. Western Connecticut took the first of two games, 7-6, in nine innings, while the Pride prevailed in the second, 3-2, in eight frames.

Next, the Pride will return to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play when it will take on Smith College on Friday, April 8 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Western Connecticut 7, Springfield 6 -- Game One

Sophomore Mackenzie Navarro (Taunton, Mass.) picked up a pair of RBI, but Springfield College fell in the first of two games to Western Connecticut, 7-6, in nine innings on Wednesday afternoon.

Sophomore Talia Loda (East Haven, Conn.) took the circle for the Pride, and pitched 6.0 strong innings, giving up just four runs and picked up two strikeouts, while Jordyn Moquin (Plantsville, Conn.) came on in relief to pitch 3.0 innings, giving up four hits and three runs while also fanning three.

For Western Connecticut, Alle Sabith (Meriden, Conn.) got the start, and pitched 4.2 frames, giving up 13 hits and five runs, while Jaclyn Smith (Sandwich, Mass.) and Emily Cintorino (Bristol, Conn.) came in to pitch the final 4.1 frames, as Cintorino picked up her sixth win of the season after giving up just one hit over 4.0 innings.

Springfield broke the silence in the bottom of the third, when Loda drove a one-out triple to left center, before Navarro dropped a perfect bunt down the first-base line, allowing the sophomore to cross the plate and give the Pride a 1-0 advantage.

After a two-run home run in the top of the fourth off the bat of Kayla Nowak (North Branford, Conn.) gave the Colonials a 2-1 lead, the Pride rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kayla Padroff (Southington, Conn.) stole second, allowing Alicia Pavadore (Taunton, Mass.) to cross home to even the score at a pair, before Loda dropped a bunt towards the pitcher, scoring Padroff from third to make it 3-2, Springfield.

The Pride would tack on a pair more in the bottom of the fifth, when Jenna Webb (Harrison, N.Y.) led off the frame with a double, before Kirsten Drobiak (Griswold, Conn.) moved her to third with a single, and Sam Cox (Longmeadow, Mass.) lined out to center, allowing Webb to come in from third for Springfield's fourth run of the game. Two batters later, Padroff faked a bunt and ripped a triple down the left field line, scoring Drobiak to make it 5-2, Springfield.

Western Connecticut would add two more in the top of the sixth inning, benefitting from RBI singles off the bats of Sabith and Jess Lionetti (Brookfield, Conn.) to cut the Colonials' deficit to one, before the visitors evened the score in the top of the seventh when a single from Maegan Rodriguez (East Haven, Conn.), plating Jenna Gaudioso (East Haven, Conn.) to even the score at five apiece.

Heading to extra innings after seven, the Colonials tacked on a run in the top of the eighth, before the Pride pulled even when Navarro blasted an RBI double off the right-center field fence to push the game to a ninth. 

Western Connecticut would score the eventual game-winning run when Nowak drove in Michaela Roche (Bristol, Conn.) from third to give the Colonials a 7-6 lead, which would hold through the bottom of the frame to give the visitors the win.

Springfield 3, Western Connecticut 2 -- Game Two

With the bases loaded, a full count and two outs, Nelson ripped a ball down the left-field line, that resulted in Padroff crossing home to give Springfield the walk-off victory in the second of two games on Wednesday evening at Potter Field.

For Springfield, Moquin picked up the win, as she pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing just one hit, but it was the dominant pitching performance from junior Nicole Cring (Cooperstown, N.Y.), who pitched 6.0 frames, allowing just three hits and two runs, while also striking out six batters in the contest.

The Colonials also saw a strong pitching performance from Cintorino, who pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs and picking up three strikeouts, but the senior took the loss after surrendering the game-winning single to Nelson in the bottom of the eighth.

Western Connecticut got on the board first in the top of the sixth, when Hannah Dunlap (Batavia, N.Y.) roped an RBI double to right center, plating Gaudioso, before Dunlap scored on an error by the shortstop.

Facing its second defeat of the day, the Pride rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh, when Nelson reached on an error at third, allowing Rachel Ball (Coventry, R.I.) to score to cut the Pride's deficit in half. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Drobiak ripped a single into center, plating Carianna Gasdia (Wakefield, Mass.) to even the score at two and forcing extra innings.

After escaping the top of the eighth unscathed, the Pride loaded the bases once again, setting up the late-game heroics from Nelson.