KEENE, N.H. 4/16/04- The Keene State College softball team split a Little East Conference doubleheader against Western Connecticut State University on Friday at Owl Athletic Complex.

Meghan McLoughlin (Brattleboro, Vt.) tossed a complete game three-hitter to lead KSC to a 3-1 win in the first game.   It was the 400th career victory for Owl coach Charlie Beach.  Now in his 19th season at KSC, Beach has a career mark of 400-284-5 at the school.
Western Conn., came back to take the second game 8-3.

The Owls jumped out to a 2-0 in the first inning of the opener on Abby Collis' (Wynantskill, N.Y.) two-run double.  They added one more run in the second.  Tiffany Underhill (Eastham, Mass.) doubled, moved to third on a past ball, and scored on an error.

The Colonials scored their run in the fifth on a RBI double from Christine Valie (Waterbury, Conn.).

McLoughlin, who pitched a perfect game in her last outing against Eastern Conn., struck out 10 and walked one to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Collis had two doubles for KSC while Valie was two-for-three for WCSU.

WCSU's Kristy Swanson (Danbury, Conn.), now 2-5, fanned five and walked three in her complete game effort on the mound.

Holly Szymanski (Wallingford, Conn.) had three hits and two RBIs to lead the Colonials in the nightcap.  WCSU went ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the first on a two-run single Melissa Walsh (Hamden, Conn.) and never relinquished the lead.

Trailing 5-3 in the top of the fourth inning, the Owls loaded the bases with no outs, but could only plate a single run.  WCSU came back to score three more times in the bottom of the fifth on Emily Cullen's (Bethel, Conn.) RBI double and a two-run single from Szymanski.

Amanda Foote (Hudson, N.H.) was three-for-three in the game for KSC.

Erin Fouroli (Warwick, R.I.) (6-1) suffered her first loss of the season.  Meg Cirigliano (Newington, Conn.) struck out nine and walked three in her complete game win for Western Conn. (10-11, 4-4 LEC). 

Keene State, which had its seven game winning streak snapped, drops to 15-5 (4-2 LEC). The Owls host UMass-Dartmouth in a LEC twinbill on Saturday (1 p.m.).