KEENE, N.H. – Seniors Carissa Miller and Lilah Demmy pitched while classmates Liv Whittier and Molly Murray were busy driving in runs as the Keene State College softball senior class helped propel the Owls to a needed Little East Conference doubleheader split against Rhode Island College on Friday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex.  KSC took the opener 4-1 before a comeback came up short in the nightcap as they fell 5-3.

Highlights
Postgame Interview (Coach Chandler)

It was a necessary split for the Owls (16-16, 5-7 LEC) against a team that entered behind them in the LEC standings, as KSC remains in sixth place, edging Vermont State University Castleton (4-6 LEC) by both winning percentage and a head-to-head sweep.  The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth is in eighth at 4-8 and RIC (16-17-1) in last at 3-8-1.  KSC is also two games back of fourth-place Plymouth State University and one game back of Western Connecticut State University entering the regular season's final week in which the Owls will go to UMD on Tuesday and PSU on Saturday.

In their last outings at the Owl Athletic Complex, the five-member senior class took it as their chance to shine.  In the opener, Carissa Miller (3-5) and Lilah Demmy (second save) teamed up to fire a three-hitter as KSC notched a 4-1 victory while outhitting the Anchorwomen 9-3.  Whittier drove in the first three runs of the day, including a two-run double in the third to break the scoring ice.  She made it 3-0 with a base hit to center in the fifth, and the Owls were on their way to an important victory as they look to make the LEC tournament for the first time since 2021.  In the nightcap, it was Molly Murray – also one of the five seniors recognized in a ceremony after the doubleheader – who drove in two of KSC's three runs as they trimmed a 4-0 deficit to 4-3 in the fifth.  However, Ashleigh von der Linden (8-5) stranded a pair in that inning to preserve the lead and wound up tossing a complete game on 132 pitches to keep her team's postseason hopes alive.  RIC added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Noelle Simmons doubled to lead off the frame and scored on a sacrifice bunt and RBI groundout.  That run proved critical, as Abby Weiterman began the bottom half with a gap double to bring the tying run to the plate – though it removed the possibility of a sacrifice with the Owls down two instead of one.  von der Linden wound up retiring the next three in order.
For most of the day, KSC kept Rhode Island College's offense completely at bay, as they did not record their first hit of the opener until Sophia Crudale began the top of the fourth with a leadoff double.  Amanda Conti bunted her over to third down 2-0, but Miller got a pop up and a foul out to the catcher to keep the shutout going.  The Owl senior pitcher then fired a 1-2-3 fifth before the Owls added another in the bottom half, going up 3-0 thanks to three straight hits as Weiterman doubled before Kalle Halvorsen and Whittier each singled.  RIC got one back in the sixth as Sarah Mickelson began with a base hit to center and moved up two bases when Simmons grounded to third, colliding with Abbie Monkevicz at first, which also dislodged the ball.  Eventually, the umpires ruled Simmons out, but Crudale's single to short upon the game's resumption made it 3-1.  Miller got the final two hitters of the inning to avoid further damage, and Murray sparked an uprising in the bottom to get the run back.  After a line drive single to left, Murray was bunted over to second by Demmy, and Kalee Keyser then came through with a base hit to left to put runners on the corners.  A squeeze bunt by Morgan Rodrigues did not do the trick as Murray was out at the plate after the bunt barely went in front of it, but Elyse Picard came to the rescue by lacing an RBI base hit to left with two down to make it 4-1.

Demmy then mowed down RIC 1-2-3 with one strikeout in the seventh to lock up KSC's needed victory, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the series.

Miller allowed three hits and one run in six innings to grab the win.  She walked one and struck out two.  Gabby Cunha (1-3) allowed nine hits and four runs over 5.2 innings to take the loss for Rhode Island College.  She walked two and fanned five.

The second game took on a different vibe right away, as after Demmy breezed to a save in the opener, the Anchorwomen struck in a first inning that did not initially seem like it would be productive.  Demmy retired the first two before Conti grounded a base hit up the middle.  Melanie Earley was then hit by a pitch to put two on, and both scored on Victoria Young's two-run double to center.

KSC had a chance to answer right away, as von der Linden, who walked seven in the game, issued free passes to Picard and Weiterman to start the game.  However, two infield popups and a looking strikeout quickly ended that threat, and the Owls did not generate another until there were two down in the fourth in a 3-0 game.  Murray reached on a bunt single for KSC's first hit and Olivia Souers worked a walk to bring the tying run to the plate.  Miller, a pinch-hitter, then also worked a free pass to load the bases, but von der Linden struck out Emma Chenette swinging to preserve the three-run advantage.

After Simmons launched a home run off the scoreboard to lead off the fifth to make it 4-0, the Owls got the bats going in the bottom half as Lily Mandel walked to begin the frame and moved to second on Picard's infield single.  Two batters later, Halvorsen took ball four to load the bases and KSC got their first run of the second game on a wild pitch.  Whittier then walked herself to reload the bases representing the tying run, and she moved into scoring position on Murray's two-run single that made it 4-3.  A Souers fly ball to right moved Whittier to third, but Keyser fouled out to left to end the inning as Sydney Duclos made a tremendous grab near the fence – one of at least three shining catches in left by she and Abby Clesas in the second contest that helped deny the Owls offensive chances.

Laborious fourth and fifth innings seemed to have von der Linden on the ropes, but the RIC hurler rebounded with a 1-2-3 sixth and then retired three straight in the seventh following Weiterman's aforementioned leadoff double.

The RIC starter improved to 8-5, allowing four hits and three runs in the complete game effort.  She walked seven and struck out four.

Demmy fell to 3-7, allowing six hits and four runs in 4.1 innings of work with two walks and one strikeout.

KSC had just four hits in the nightcap, the first three resulting in only singles.  They did leave eight on base thanks to the copious amount of walks.

Murray paced the Owl offense with a 2-for-4 effort, driving in two.  She is hitting .366 on the season, behind only Halvorsen's .369 clip.

After the games, KSC and first hear head coach Haley Chandler '13 honored Miller, Demmy, Whittier, Murray, and Allison Adams for their contributions to the program.

The Owls will now turn their attention to running down an LEC tournament berth, and can take a big step toward that on Tuesday (April 29) when they visit UMass-Dartmouth (17-14) for two starting at 3:00 p.m.  It is the first of six road games – four in the conference – next week for KSC.  The Owls are 6-6 in true road games this season.