BOSTON, MASS. 4/18/12 – The Keene State College softball team split a Little East Conference doubleheader on the road at UMass-Boston on Wednesday.

Trailing 6-5 going into the seventh inning, the Owls (16-7-1, 3-3 LEC) rallied for six runs to pull out an 11-6 win in the first game.  Keene State's seventh inning rally came up short, falling 2-1 to the Beacons (14-12, 2-6 LEC) in the nightcap. 

Falling behind 5-1 in the opener, Keene State scored three runs in the top of the fourth on senior Haley Chandler's (Wakefield, Mass.) team-leading fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot over the fence in left center. 

Junior Jessica Fiorenza (Wakefield, Mass.) started the Owls' seventh inning comeback with an RBI single.  Coming up with the bases loaded, freshman Samantha Nitso (Londonderry, N.H.) cleared the bases with a three-run double down the right field line to make 9-5.  Chandler brought in two more insurance runs with a double.

Nitso finished the game with three hits and three RBIs while Chandler was also productive at the plate with two hits and five RBIs. 

Senior Sara Stocklinski (Newton, N.J.) got the complete game win to improve her record to 7-3.  She gave up six runs on eight hits while fanning eight and walking two batters.

The second game was a pitchers' duel between KSC senior Emily Albin (Bethel, Conn.) and the UMB freshman Michelle Zullo (Everett, Mass.)

Keene State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Chandler walked and came around to score on a pair of Beacon errors.

UMass-Boston got both of its run in the bottom of the fifth inning.  One run came in on a passed ball and the second on an error, one of eight the Owls committed in the doubleheader. 

Looking to pull off their second comeback win of the day, the Owls got their first two runners on base in the top of the seventh.  Nitso reached on an error and advanced to second on a single by freshman Katie Newell (Shoreham, N.Y.). Both runners were left stranded. 

Senior Katie Bradford (Lebanon, N.H.) had two of the Owls five hits in the game.  Despite a solid outing in the circle, Albin (6-3) took the loss for KSC.  She allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. 

Zullo (7-6) picked up the win for the Beacons. She gave up one run on five hits, fanning two and walking three batters.

Keene State returns home for a LEC doubleheader against Southern Maine on Saturday (1 p.m.).