DANBURY, Conn. - Lilah Demmy pitched a complete game and the Keene State College softball team rode a quick start to an eventual 5-4 victory over Western Connecticut State University in the second of two Little East Conference games Saturday at Westside Field.  The Owls were shut down by Hailey Golembiewski while dropping the opener 5-1.

Records

• Keene State:  12-16, 2-6 LEC
• Western Connecticut:  13-15, 1-7 LEC

How It Happened – Game One
In a game that saw only seven hits combined, two doubles and five singles, WestConn rode the pitching of Golembiewski (6-8) to a 5-1 win that gave them their first league victory of the season.  She struck out five Owls over the first two innings and seven over the first three, finishing with nine in the game.  Her team gave her a 2-0 edge in the bottom of the second when Avery Gabrenas singled down the right field line before a second run came across on a passed ball.  That came after KSC probably should have been out of the inning, as Brianna Malvino's grounder to third was misplayed right before Gabrenas' hit.  The Owls put a runner in scoring position with one out in the fourth as Sara Cote walked and then stole second, but a strike out and a line out ended the frame.  Western added another in the fifth on Nicole Antonowicz's unconventional trip around the bases where she reached after being hit, moved to second on a wild pitch, third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on another sacrifice for a 3-0 lead.  Golembiewski took it from there, as she allowed just three hits in the game.  KSC did walk four times, but that did not lead to any damage on the scoreboard.  Malvino's single to right in the sixth tacked on two more to make it 5-0 before the Owls spoiled the shutout bid with a run in the seventh on CC Chadwick's run-scoring groundout, which scored Meghan Moran who had led off with a double.

Carissa Miller (5-6) took a tough-luck loss, allowing five runs (three earned) and four hits in six innings.  She walked two and struck out five.  Her season ERA now stands at 2.60.  Offensively, Moran doubled and walked to reach base twice.  Faith Barbieri and Megan Blanchette were each 1-for-3, but that was the extent of KSC's damage at the plate as they dropped their seventh straight game overall.

Western Connecticut had only four hits, but Malvino and Gabrenas each went 1-for-2 and drove in a pair of runs as they picked up their first non-conference win of the season.

How It Happened – Game Two
The Owls played from ahead after a three-run first inning and wound up holding off WCSU to pick up the split as Lilah Demmy pitched a complete game and got big outs over the final two innings in what turned into a one-run game.  KSC went in front 3-0 right away when Molly Murray tripled home Barbieri, who started the game with a base hit, and then scored herself on a fielder's choice from Moran.  Moran scored on the same play when WCSU third baseman Jada Miconi threw the ball away.  Miconi then went deep to lead off the home team's half of the inning, but Demmy mostly settled in, getting out of a jam in the second and keeping WestConn scoreless over the next three innings.  KSC added on two more in the fifth to make it a 5-1 game.  Murray led off with a bunt single and Cote walked before both were moved into scoring position on Moran's sacrifice bunt.  Pinch-hitter Blanchette then came through with a big two-run single up the middle to score both and give Demmy and the Owls some breathing room.  That proved to be critical, as Western Connecticut got three of the runs back – all with two outs – in their very next trip to the plate to make it a one-run game after five.  Carly Cordova, batting third in the lineup, doubled home two to make it 5-3 before then scoring on Keeley's grounder to second that resulted in a KSC error.  Demmy finished strong, tossing a 1-2-3 sixth and then worked out of trouble in a big way in the seventh.  Rachael Ushka began WCSU's last ups by cracking a double to left, quickly putting the tying run in scoring position, but never advanced any further.  Demmy got Miconi to sky to center and then punctuated her solid outing by striking out pinch-hitter Madison Vanderploeg and Cordova to end the game.  She improved to 7-5 on the year, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in the seven innings while walking three and striking out six.

The top two in KSC's lineup had three of their four hits, including Murray's 2-for-4 effort.  She also tripled and scored twice.  Barbieri singled, as did Blanchette in what proved to provide a pair of critical runs in the end.

Sarah Milyko (2-2) got the start for WestConn and took the loss, allowing two hits and three earned runs in two innings.  She walked one and struck out one.  Miconi finished 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, while Cordova was 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI.

Around the Horn

• Miller has fanned 14 over her last 15.1 innings of work.
• Murray tied Cote with a team-high three triples.  She is hitting .360 on the season and has never seen her average dip below .345 at any point.  The first-year Owl from Gorham, Maine is also eight for her last 20 at the plate, recording a hit in five of the past six games.
• Blanchette is now four for her last seven.
• The teams have now split nine consecutive doubleheaders.  No team has won more than two in a row in the series since 2013-2014, when WCSU won four straight.  KSC leads the series 37-32-1.

Up Next

• Keene State travels to sixth-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University (24-4, 7-1 LEC) on Tuesday, April 19 for a pair of conference games that start at 3:00 p.m.  The Owls were bounced from the LEC tournament last year by a 4-2 loss to the Warriors.  ECSU has won 12 straight in the series and eight straight overall this season.
• WestConn visits Rhode Island College (8-10, 2-6 LEC) on the same day for two starting at 4:30 p.m.  The Anchorwomen have dropped six straight conference games, including being swept by current sixth-place team Plymouth State University (4-4 LEC).  KSC and WCSU are both two games behind the Panthers for the final playoff spot.