DANBURY, CT (Apr. 14) —   Keene State College found itself on different ends of softball shutouts against Western Conn. State University in Danbury, Conn. on Sunday, winning the opener 6-0 behind freshman pitcher Mariah Crisp (Greenland, N.H.) and dropping the five-inning nightcap 8-0 to the Colonials at Westside Field. 

Crisp tossed a complete game three-hitter in the first game, fanning three without issuing a walk.  Crisp, who improved her record to 9-3, struck out the side in the second inning.

After threatening in the second inning, the Owls finally broke through, scoring four runs in the top of the third inning. Coming up with the bases loaded, senior Jessica Fiorenza (Wakefield, Mass.) had an RBI single to left field.  KSC got another run when senior Meryl Ragaini (Seymour, Conn.) came home on a ground out by freshman Morgan Fallon (Reading, Mass.).  Junior Ellissa Coburn (Claremont, NH) ripped a double over the head of the Western right-fielder to drive in two more runs. 

Crisp continued shutting down the Western bats in the fourth and fifth innings, allowing a single in each inning, but no Western runners reached scoring position.  Keene State loaded the bases in the fourth and put two runners on in the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn't push across any runs.

In the top of the seventh, Keene State padded its lead.  Fallon opened the inning with a double and came home on a wild pitch.  Freshman Anna Glassman (East Granby, Conn.) brought in the Owls final run with an RBI single up the middle.

Keene State finished the game with 14 hits.  Sophomore Sara Bracken (Windham, N.H.) went 3-5 while sophomore Samantha Nitso (Londonderry, N.H.), Fiorenza, Coburn, and Glassman each had two hits.

Alexandra Sabith (5-6) took the loss for the Colonials.

In the second game, the Colonials took a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Western Conn. got to KSC starter sophomore Katie Newell (Shoreham, N.Y.), scoring one run on an infield RBI single by freshman Michaela Roche.  Inheriting a bases loaded jam, sophomore pitcher Kellie Saunders (East Hartford, Conn.) gave up a two-run triple by sophomore Nina Wojtkiewicz over the head of the Keene State right-fielder.  Wojtkiewicz, who had three hits in the game, was thrown out at home on the play trying to stretch her triple into an inside-the-park homer.

WCSU added a single run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to go up 8-0 and end on the game due to the eight-run rule.

KSC had five hits in the second game.  The only extra base-hit was by senior Nicole Dupuis (Fitchburg, Mass.) a double to lead off the fourth inning.

Saunders took the loss for the Owls in the circle.  Her record goes to 1-2.

With the split Western now stands at 10-16 on the season and 4-2 in the Little East Conference.  Keene State is now 12-9, 2-2 in the LEC.  Keene State hosts UMass-Boston on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.).