Springfield, Mass. - March 25, 2022 - The Springfield College softball team put together an impressive performance in its home opener as it earned a split with nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut State on Friday afternoon.  The Warriors prevailed by a 4-0 score in the opener before the Pride battled its way to a 3-2 win in the nightcap.

For Springfield, it marked the first time it had played on Diane L. Potter Field in front of fans in 1,066 days, dating back to 2019, and it now stands at 9-3 on the season.  ECSU entered the contest ranked 9th in the most recent NFCA Division III National Poll and dipped to 13-3. 

The Pride will head to Westfield State for a non-conference showdown on Saturday that will begin at 12 pm.

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Springfield "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market. 

Game 1 - Eastern Connecticut 4, Springfield 0 

Springfield threatened in the bottom of the first, as towering double from Alli Olsen (Ridgewood, N.J.) and flare single by Sam Witmer (Drexel Hill, Pa.) to left field put a pair of runners on with one out.  However, after a passed ball put both in scoring position, the Warriors were able to get out of the jam with a strike out and fly out to right.  The Pride was able to get runners on second and third with two outs again in the second, but was unable to scratch out a run. 

Eastern Connecticut was able to score for the first time in the third inning.  A one-out double from Taylor Darby down the left field line and walk from Brooke Matyasovsky set the table for Julie SanGiovanni, who turned on the first pitch she saw and tagged a ball down the left field line for a three-run homer. Darby later led off the fifth with a single and would cross the plate for a Warriors insurance run on a two-out base knock by Carley Stoker.  

Springfield made one final push in the bottom of the seventh, as singles from Ava Fernandez (Cedar Grove, N.J.) and Mackenzie Doyle (Gloucester, R.I.) put two runners on for the hosts.  However, ECSU would seal the victory getting three-consecutive pop outs for the win.

Stoker earned the win for the Warriors, tossing 3.1 innings of relief and scattering three hits as Springfield stranded 10 runners in the contest. 

Game 2 - Springfield 3, Eastern Connecticut 2 (6 innings)

Ashley Pugliese (Huntington Station, N.Y.) put together a gutsy effort in the circle to deliver the win for the Pride as she tossed six innings of six-hit ball, striking out five while throwing 115 pitches. Mackenzie Doyle accounted for two of the Pride's six hits and Alli Olsen drove in a pair of runs. 

The visitors strung together three singles in the opening inning, including a RBI base knock from Brooke Matyasovsky, and benefitted from a walk with the bases loaded to gain an early 2-0 lead.  Springfield would answer right back in the bottom half with two runs of its own to make it a 2-2 contest. After Doyle led off with a single, Olsen drove her in with a double, and Sam Witmer evened things up after blistering a single up the middle to plate Olsen.

In the third, ECSU had runners on second and third, but Pugliese settled in by inducing a ground out and delivering a swinging strike out to keep the visitors off the board.  In the bottom of the frame, Fernandez ripped a single to lead off and Doyle added a bunt single of her own, as a throwing error allowed the duo to get into scoring position.  Olsen then was able to drive in Fernandez on a ground out for what would prove to be the winning run.

With darkness setting in, the game progressed to midway through the seventh inning before it was decided that darkness would not allow the inning to be completed.  The umpires reverted back to the last completed inning, giving Springfield the 3-2 victory.