Springfield, Mass. – April 20, 2024 – The Springfield College softball team earned two wins over Coast Guard in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon on Potter Field. Springfield won the opener, 3-2, before walking off in the nightcap, 7-6, in eight innings.
Springfield is now 22-6-1 overall and 10-2 in NEWMAC play, while Coast Guard falls to 8-14, 6-4. Springfield will host Manhattanville College on Wednesday, April 24 in non-conference action beginning at 3:00 pm on Potter Field.
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Game One: Springfield 3, Coast Guard 2
Coast Guard scored twice in the top of the first inning – one on an RBI double down the left field line by Christine Carey and one on a ground out by Isabelle Shroyer.
In the bottom of the third, Springfield loaded the bases on an error and back-to-back bunt base hits. With one out,
Carissa Pecchia (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) drove in both
Alli Olsen (Ridgewood, N.J.) and
Ava Rainone (White Plains, N.Y.) on a single through the left side to even the score at 2-2.
After back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the fifth by Olsen and
Amelia DeRosa (Miller Place, N.Y.),
Callie Gendron (Berlin, Conn.) plated Olsen from second on a knock up the middle for a 3-2 edge.
Coast Guard came to bat in the top of the seventh and DeRosa set the Bears down 1-2-3 on three pitches to secure the game one victory for the Pride. DeRosa scattered seven hits and allowed two runs to improve to 11-3 in the circle for Springfield.
At the top of the lineup, Olsen went 2-for-4 with two runs, while Pecchia drove in two of Springfield's three runs in the opener. Arielle Schmutz, Carey and Shroyer combined for five of Coast Guard's seven hits and both of the visitors runs.
Game Two: Springfield 7, Coast Guard 6 (8 Innings)
Gendron got Springfield on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single down the right field line that plated Olsen, who began the game with a single of her own to right. The Pride added a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on RBI knocks by both DeRosa and Olsen for a 3-0 lead through two.
In the bottom of the fifth, Gendron plated DeRosa on a sacrifice fly and
Michaela Ponticello (Gloversville, N.Y.) brought home
Taylor Falotico (Windsor, Conn.) on a ground out to shortstop as the Pride led 5-0 through five.
Coast Guard began its comeback in the top of the sixth as a ground out by Julia Breidenthal and a single up the middle by Natalie Beck cut Springfield's lead to three, 5-2. Then in the top of the seventh, with DeRosa back in the circle, the Bears rallied for four runs on four hits to take a 6-5 lead. Four straight hits including a double by Dana Walker, a single by Bridget Bartz, and RBI knock by Abriana Schmutz and a two-run double by Carey knotted the game at five.
After Carey advanced to third on a wild pitch, Coast Guard took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Shroyer.
DeRosa began the bottom of the frame by reaching on an error and moved to third on a single to right by Pecchia. Ponticello hit the ball to shortstop to allow DeRosa to score the game-tying run and push the game into extras.
DeRosa got Coast Guard out 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth before
Kate Katsetos (Brewster, N.Y.) singled to moved
Breannah McCann (Poway, Calif.) to third in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Olsen lined the ball on the ground to second allowing McCann to come across with the winning run.
