KEENE, N.H. 4/3/10 – The Keene State College softball team opened its Little East Conference schedule by sweeping Western Conn. State University, 4-1 and 7-1 on Saturday. The Owls, who were playing at Owl Athletic Complex for the first time this season and seeing their first action since their spring week trip to Florida, improve to 10-4 (2-0 LEC).  Western Conn. falls to 4-8 (0-2 LEC).

KSC scored all of its four runs in the fourth inning of the opener, courtesy of back-to-back home runs from sophomore Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) and freshman Nicole Dupuis (Fitchburg, Mass.).  Chandler hit a three-run shot over the left field fence and Dupuis followed with a line shot in the same spot.

Sophomore Courtney Savoie (Stratham, N.H.), now 3-1, had an impressive outing in the circle for KSC.  She went six innings, allowing one-run on three hits with four strikeouts and a couple of walks.

Senior Kara Cullinane (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) (2-3) suffered the loss for Western.

Sophomore Emily Albin (Bethel, Conn.) tossed a complete game five hitter with a career high 12 strikeouts in the second game. 

KSC took a 2-1 lead in the third on RBI hits from twin sisters Haley and Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) hand tacked on five more runs in the fifth. 

Senior catcher Stephanie Lavado (Wallingford, Conn.), who cut down three Colonels runners on the base paths trying to steal in the two games, and freshman Kayla Joyce (Bridgewater, Mass.) had RBI hits for KSC in the fifth inning uprising.

Freshman Jessica Fiorenza (Wakefield, Mass.), Haley Chandler, and Joyce each had two hits for the Owls.

Junior Brittany Connors (Waterford, Conn.) took the loss in the circle (1-2) for Western.

Keene State is at Amherst College on Monday.  Western host Wesleyan on Tuesday.