MANSFIELD. CONN. 4/27/13 — The Keene State College softball team split a Little East Conference doubleheader against Eastern Conn. State University at the ECSU Field in Mansfield, Conn. on Saturday.

Freshman Mariah Crisp (Greenland, N.H.) scattered four hits and fanned seven, seven shy of the school season record of 193 set in 1999 by Lindsey Blood, leading KSC to a 2-1 opening game win. The Warriors scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning en route to a 10-6 victory in the second game.

It's the sixth split in a LEC doubleheader for the Owls, who conclude their regular season with a 21-14 overall record and 8-6 mark in the LEC.   KSC will be the fourth seed in the LEC tournament which begins on Thurs., May 2.  The Owls first-round opponent will be third weed Western Conn.

Eastern Conn. (25-11, 11-3 LEC) captured the LEC regular season title and will be the top seed and host of the tournament.

Keene State ended a seven game skid against ECSU with its win in the first game.  The Owls last beat the Warriors in the 2010 season.  KSC did all its damage early, scoring single runs in the first and second innings. 

In the first, sophomore Sara Bracken (Windham, N.H.) doubled and came home on a RBI single by senior Meryl Ragaini (Seymour, Conn.).  In the second, sophomore Samantha Nitso (Londonderry, N.H.) led off with a single and scored on a single up the middle by freshman Stephanie Long (Salem, N.H,).

Crisp did the rest from there, improving her record to 17-3 on the season, two short of the record of 19 set by Sue Pranulis in 1993.  The freshman gave up her only run in the fifth on a RBI single by sophomore Shannon Martin (Wethersfield, Conn.). Crisp put down the side in order in the sixth and seventh to preserve the win.

Long and Nitso each had two hits for the Owls.

KSC took an early lead in the second game, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning with Bracken and Dupuis getting RBI doubles. The Owls added singles runs in the second and fourth to go up 5-1 with senior Jessica Fiorenza (Wakefield, Mass.) knocking in each run.

Things began to unravel for the Owls in the bottom of the fourth when the Warriors plated five runs to go up 6-5.   Sophomore Sam Rossetti (Shelton, Conn.) and junior Megan Godwin (Manchester, Conn.) had key RBI hits for ECSU in the inning.

KSC got the run back in the top of the sixth to tie the game (6-6) on a sacrifice fly by Bracken.

The Warriors erupted for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 10-6. Alyssa Hancock's (Waterford) suicide squeeze bunt allowed Megan Godwin (Manchester) to score the go-ahead run and freshman Taylor Smyth (Meriden, Conn.) hit a three-run home run to fuel the uprising.

Fiorenza went 4-4 and had two RBIs for KSC.

Sophomore Katie Newell (Shoreham, N.Y.) took the loss for KSC.

Sophomore Erin Miller (Waterford, Conn.) was the winning pitcher for the Warriors.