SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Keene State College softball team fell into a pair of early multi-run deficits and was held to five singles on the afternoon in two games as they fell to Springfield College 8-0 and 8-1 (6 innings) in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon at Potter Field.

Records

• Keene State:  4-10
• Springfield:  13-3

How It Happened – Game One
The Owls fell behind 4-0 after one and 6-0 after two while being limited to three hits in the opener by Pride pitcher Gillian Kane.  KSC did walk five times, with Liv Whittier taking two free passes including one with the bases loaded in the third that made it 6-1, but left six on base.  Keene State put a runner on in five of the seven innings, but the only frame that they had multiple runners on came in the third when Amanda Cerretani and CC Chadwick singled before Sara Cote and Whittier worked consecutive one-out walks later.  Down 6-1, KSC still had a golden chance for more, but a 6-4-3 double play left them with just one run, and they never seriously threatened again.

Springfield got all the offense they would need in the early innings against Lilah Demmy (2-2).  The first four Pride reached, including a two-run single by Callie Gendron that gave her team a quick early lead.  Demmy struck out Michaela Ponticello with runners at second and third for the first out, but Kane followed with a base hit to center for a 3-0 lead before Alli Olsen's sacrifice fly tacked on another.  After KSC went down 1-2-3 in the top of the second, a walk and an error ultimately resulted in two more Pride runs in the second as the Owls fell into a 6-0 deficit.  Early holes has been a trend in Keene State's defeats this year, as they have been outscored 41-5 in the opening two innings of their losses.

Leading 6-1, Springfield had their third multi-run inning in the sixth by scoring two more times.  That inning began with a walk and, two batters later, a double from Carissa Pecchia that brought home a run.  Ponticello made it 8-1 with a two-out RBI single.

Demmy took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) and five hits in two innings.  She walked three and struck out one.  Mia Ferry pitched the final four innings, allowing two runs and four hits with two free passes and two whiffs.

Kane (5-1) was able to pitch from ahead all day and allowed three hits and one run in a complete game, walking five and striking out four.

Gendron finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run for the Pride, while Pecchia was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a walk, and two runs.  Springfield outhit Keene State 9-3.

How It Happened – Game Two
The Owl offense remained dormant in the second contest as they were two-hit and had no other baserunners against Ashley Pugliese and Emily Gell.  Cote singled with one out in the first, but KSC otherwise was sent down via three strikeouts, and then did not have their next baserunner until the top of the sixth on Molly Murray's two-out single.  Springfield had built a 7-0 lead by that point thanks to two in the first, one in the second, and four in the fifth.

It was an ominous start for the Owls when the Pride's first batter of the game, Mackenzie Doyle, reached on an error.  She moved to second on the play and then third on a grounder ahead of Pecchia's walk and steal as Springfield had two in scoring position without a hit.  The hits would come from there, though, as Kristen Acocella drove in a run with a single to center and Ponticello doubled to left for a 2-0 lead.  Springfield made it 3-0 in the second when Doyle singled, stole second, and then came home on Amelia DeRosa's triple.

Much like the opener, that would wind up being more than enough offense for the Pride and Pugliese (3-0), who struck out six in five one-hit innings to get the win.  She also induced seven ground ball outs and threw only 58 pitches.  Gell struck out two in the sixth.

Springfield put the game away by scoring four times in the fifth, none of which scored on a hit.  In fact, the Pride only had one hit in the inning – a leadoff single from DeRosa.  A pair of hit by pitches, a walk, a sacrifice fly, and an error did most of the damage.

Carissa Miller (0-6) started in the circle for KSC and took the loss, allowing seven hits and eight runs (six earned) in 5.1 innings.  She walked five and struck out one.

"There are things we can control and things we can't control on the field," said Keene State head coach Carrah Fisk Hennessey.  "Umpire calls we cannot control.  Fielding the ball cleanly and hitting the ball hard we can control.  The consistency on both sides of the ball is our last missing piece."

Around the Horn

• Keene State is 4-2 when scoring seven runs or more and winless in eight tries when scoring fewer than that number.
• The Owls have lost six straight in the series since sweeping the Pride in 2016.

Up Next

• KSC is slated for their home opener on Saturday, April 1 when they welcome the University of Massachusetts-Boston (10-3) for a Little East Conference doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.
• Springfield, who was swept by Eastern Connecticut State University in their only previous games against an LEC opponent this season, welcomes Emerson College (10-4) for a league twinbill on the same day (12:00 p.m.).