'Henniker, N.H. 4/14/06 - The Keene State College softball team split a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday, dropping the first game to New England College 7-6, and coming back to win the nightcap 11-5.

In the first game, the Pilgrims scored four runs in the sixth inning for a 7-6 win. 

Down 1-0 in the third inning, KSC took a 3-1 lead when Jessica Starkey (Keene, N.H.) drove in Jenna Patnode (Swanzey, N.H.), and Ashlee Nicholson (Swanzey, N.H.) drove in a pair of runs.

After NEC tied the game at three in the fourth inning, KSC retook the lead on a homerun from Melissa Scata (Medway, Mass.).  KSC added two more runs on RBI hits from Julia May (Deep River, Conn.) and Tiffany Underhill (Eastham, Mass.). 

NEC pushed the winning run across the plate in the sixth when Alysia Coats (Stewartson, N.H.), who had tied the game with a 2-RBI double, scored on an error.

Nicholson took the loss for KSC.  She gave up seven runs while striking out nine and walking just one.  Katie Harmon (Saxton's River, Vt.) got the win for NEC. 

Keene State, now 17-5, won the second game behind a three hit, three RBI effort from sophomore Kaity Conklin (Selkirk, N.Y.). 

Keene State put up three runs in the first inning on an RBI single from Kari Gardner (Grafton, Mass.) and a two run homer from Scata.  It was Scata's seventh home run of the season.

KSC added three more runs in the fourth on RBI hits from Gardner and Kathleen Gambino (Freeport, N.Y.), and Patnode  scored on an error.

KSC starter Erin Fuoroli (Warwick, R.I.) pitched a complete game, giving up five runs while walking five and striking out three to get the win.  Deanna Brayton (Queensbury, N.Y.) took the loss for NEC.

KSC will host Eastern Connecticut State in a doubleheader on April 15 at 1 pm.  NEC will be at Eastern Nazarene College on April 17.