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Box Score 2 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Keene State College softball team fell in a non-conference doubleheader to Springfield College on Wednesday afternoon. The Pride took the two games 3-1 and 11-3.
The wins boost the Pride's record to 15-14 on the season, while the Owls dropped to 10-12. The Pride will return to Potter Field on Friday April 17th at 3:00pm when it takes on Wellesley in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader.
Game One
In game one, Springfield scored first on an RBI double by junior Jenna Webb On the play, Nelson, who reached base on a leadoff single, was bunted over by Talia Loda, and was able to come around to score.
The Pride continued the offensive pressure in the second inning as Nelson ripped a two-run single to score Elizabeth Joseph and Carianna Gasdia. Olivia Gonzalez was issued a walk to start the inning. After she stole second Joseph poked a single to right field, which moved Gonzalez to third. The next pitch Joseph was off and running, to put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
After a pop-out and solid play to nail Gonzalez at the plate off of a bunt from Gasdia, Nelson found a gap through the infield to plate both Gasdia and Joseph. The hit would put the Pride up 3-0.
Keene threatened in the top of the fifth, as Kayla Votto lined a one-out triple to the right-center fence, but was left stranded.
The Owls put the pressure on in the top of the seventh when Sara Bracken plated Votto to put the game at 3-1. With two outs, Votto singled to left. Long kept the game alive as she poked the ball through the left side of the infield. In the next at-bat Bracken would come through with a single to right which allowed Votto to hustle home.
After a hit batter, Loda would retire the final out of the game with a strike out.
Loda collected her eighth win on the year as she distributed seven hits and a run over her seven innings pitched. The sophomore struck out two batters on the afternoon.
Emily Bradway took the loss for the Owls as the freshman allowed three runs on five hits.
Votto was productive for the Owls as she contributed two hits in three at-bats, and was Keene's lone runner to cross the plate. Jennifer Galavotti had two hits.
Game Two
For the second game in a row Nelson found her way on base with a leadoff hit. The junior ripped a double to left and was followed by Simone Morin who earned a base on balls. Webb singled down the right field line to score Nelson from second. Two batters later, Morin and Webb advanced on wild pitches. That would set up a RBI single to left which scored Morin for the second run of the game.
Keene retaliated in the third with a leadoff single from Aliza Guerrero. The sophomore stole second, and advanced to third after a wild pitch for ball four to Galavotti.
The Owl's created havoc on the base paths as Galavotti took off for second and the throw down was unsuccessful. Guerre scored on the play to put the score at 2-1.
The Owl's would add one more run in the fourth to tie up the ball game at 2-2. Heather Pelletier (Auburn, N.H.) singled with two outs, followed by a triple from Brittany DaMota (Monroe, Conn.) to easily score Pelletier from first.
Springfield would respond in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff walk from Pavadore.
After a passed ball to put the sophomore on second, Tasha Polana grounded out to move Pavadore to third. The next at-bat resulted with a fielding error, which plated Pavadore with the go-ahead run. Springfield would score an insurance run when Gonzalez scooted to home due to an errant throw from the outfield.
The Pride would put the game away with four runs in the fifth. Navarro started the rally with a one out walk and was sacrificed over by a bunt from Gasdia. Navarro would eventually come around to score due to an error. Pavadore earned herself a walk, which was followed by a smoked shot over the left field wall from Polana. Back to back walks would follow the homerun. After a double steal, Morin singled to center to allow Gonzalez to trikle in from third. The Pride would move into the sixth with the comfortable 8-2 lead.
Keene answered with another run in the sixth when Votto scored Shae Crosby from third, but that would be all for the Owls. Springfield would exhaust the game in the bottom of the six after a RBI double from Pavadore and a two run single to left from Polana, claiming the 11-3 victory.
Morgan Fallon suffered the loss for the Owls as she gave up eight runs on six hits in her 4.2 innings of play.
Pelletier, Guerrero and DaMota all had two hit games for the Owls. KSC returns to action with a doubleheader at the University of Southern Maine on Saturday.
(Parts of this story courtesy Springfield Athletic Communications)
