Springfield, Mass. - March 30, 2022 - The Springfield College softball program swept Keene State on Wednesday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout in the first game, before claiming an 8-1 win through six innings in the second game at Potter Field. 

With the win, Springfield improves to 13-3 on the season and is off to its best start since 2017. Keene State falls to 8-6. 

The Pride will travel to Emerson on Saturday for a NEWMAC opener - starting at 1:30. 

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Springfield 3, Keene 0

Gillian Kane (New Canaan, Conn.) and Emily Gell (Trumbull, Conn.) split time in the circle in the shutout victory combining for only two hits and eight strikeouts. Kane earned the victory for the Pride. 

The scoring got started in the top of the second for Springfield as Kristin Acocella (Redding, Conn.) blasted a triple to the gap in right center for the Pride's second hit of the game. Breannah McCann (San Diego, Calif.) followed up Acocella's triple with a single to right that scored Acocella and give Springfield a 1-0 lead. In the top of the third, Doyle gave Springfield a leadoff hit, before Alli Olsen (Ridgewood, N.J.) laid a SAC bunt to advance Doyle, which left Witmer up, who drilled a single on the ground past the right side to bring in Doyle to double up the Springfield lead at 2-0. 

In the top of the fifth, Acocella continued to impact the game as the Sport Management major stole second after her leadoff walk and later scored courtesy of a wild pitch and allowed the Pride to go ahead 3-0. Gell replaced Kane in the bottom of the fifth and did not allow the Owls to get any chance of a comeback as the sophomore threw five strikeouts to keep the visitors scoreless and sealed the shutout victory. 

Springfield 8, Keene 1

Springfield opened the game with a 4-0 lead off a three-run second inning sparked by a lead off double from Marissa Seyfert (Farmingdale, N.Y.), who eventually scored on a passed ball. The scoring was capped off by an RBI single from Olsen before Katie Leacoma (Walpole, Mass.) score Olsen off a triple to right to help Springfield go up 4-0. In the bottom of the third, Keene responded with back-to-back hits that allowed the Owls to dip into the Springfield lead at 4-1, however, the Pride ripped off four runs in the top of the fourth to pull ahead with an 8-1 lead highlighted by a two-RBI single from Sam Witmer (Drexel Hill, Pa.) in the inning. Logann Carey (Riverhead, N.Y.) pitched the final three innings of the game and recorded four strikeouts before the contest was called due to darkness leaving Springfield with the 8-1 victory.