CLERMONT, Fla. – The Keene State College softball team slugged 22 hits including six for extra bases as they opened their 2026 season with a pair of victories in Florida, beating Augsburg University 14-6 in five innings and Salem State University 5-4 at the Legends Way Ballfields.
Highlights vs. Augsburg
Highlights vs. Salem State
The Owls (2-0) scored in seven of their 12 offensive innings, including putting up a six-spot in the first inning of their campaign as they sprinted out to a big early lead against the Auggies (2-9), who allowed 13 hits and walked five. KSC had the bases loaded right away on two walks and a
Kalle Halvorsen bunt single and scored their first run on an
Abby Weiterman bases loaded walk.
Cainen Avery then took ball four in her first collegiate plate appearance to make it 2-0, and two batters later against reliever Nikolina Opp,
Jayme Kiley delivered the biggest swing of the inning – a two-run triple to make it 5-0. A double steal by
Elyse Picard and
Kalle Halvorsen to go along with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second widened KSC's lead to 8-1.
Augsburg recorded eight of their 11 hits in a long third inning that saw them plate five runs to get within two, but KSC responded with a big two-out rally in the bottom half to keep them at bay. The uprising began with
Kalee Keyser working a walk before
Morgan Rodrigues and
Anna Gostkowski followed with single to make it 9-6. With runners at the corners, Gostkowski took second to put two in scoring position and Halvorsen – 6-for-7 on the day – plated both with a line drive single up the middle to put the Owls up five before the next batter Picard roped an RBI double to left to make it 12-6.
Ashley Connor (1-0) worked two scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth to keep KSC in firm control, and three of the four Owl batters in the bottom of the fifth got hits to plate a pair including Avery's two-run double that ended it. The 14 runs matched last season's high set April 1 against Rivier University in a 14-10 victory at Franklin Pierce.
Connor allowed two hits and a walk over 2.1 scoreless frames to get the win. Zoe Adkins (1-4) took the loss, allowing five runs and four walks without getting an out.
KSC picked up right where they left off in their second contest, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Weiterman's RBI single. Gostkowski then launched her first career home run, a three-run inside-the-park shot to left that made it 4-0 in the second, and added an RBI single to her big day in the fourth as the Owls went up 5-0.
Salem State (2-1) made a game of it, hitting back with four in the bottom half including a three-run single by Tara Perryman, but
Megan Strzegowski (1-0) settled things down from there and did not allow a hit over the final three innings. The Vikings had a baserunner in each, including a runner at second and one out in the sixth, but Samantha Gaona-Sullivan lined into a double play to end the inning. After two groundouts, Abigail LaClair was plunked to put the tying run on first in the bottom of the seventh, but Giana Johanson grounded to third to end the game.
Shay Webb started for the Owls and fired three scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out two. Gracie Martineau (0-1) took the complete game loss for the Vikings, allowing nine hits and five runs, walking three and striking out four.
"Today was a full team effort," said KSC head coach Haley Chandler, now in her second season. "Energy was high and our freshmen collectively had a great day too. I am also particularly proud of our pitchers in the second game. Shey and Meg held it down, stayed cool-headed when things got tough and they got the job done. Our win against Salem was gritty."
Two of Halvorsen's six hits on the day were triples, while Gostkowski drove in a team-high five runs.
The Owls are back at it tomorrow (Monday, March 16) when they take on No. 14 Simpson College (9-0) and Clarkson University (1-4) in Florida at 1:45 and 4:00 p.m., respectively.
