MANSFIELD, Conn. – Elyse Picard continued her torrid spring, raising her batting average over .440 while reaching all five times and clubbing her third home run of the season, as the Keene State College softball team hit around three Eastern Connecticut State University arms to pick up a split of a Little East Conference doubleheader at Clyde Washburne Field on Tuesday, winning the second contest 10-7.  The Warriors rode a complete game shutout by Elizabeth Mitchell to take the opener 4-0.

KSC (12-10, 3-3 LEC) has split all three league doubleheaders so far, twice winning the second game, and needs just four wins to match last year's total with a roster that features eight first years and just two seniors.

The Owls never trailed in the second contest, taking a 3-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Abby Weiterman, hitting over .400 herself, and a two-run double from Jayme Kiley.  Eastern Connecticut (14-10, 5-3 LEC) got one back on Julia Boya's solo home run, but Picard launched a three-run blast of her own to left in KSC's very next trip to the plate in the fourth to make it 6-1.  It was one of three extra-base hits for her on the day, as she also doubled twice.

KSC got contributions from many, however, in their 15-hit attack as Weiterman was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and three runs batted in while Kalle Halvorsen also had a three-hit game as the Owls' middle of the order proved to be just that.  Anna Gostkowski also had a hit and a walk, scoring three runs, as KSC saw a whopping 10 different people record a hit.

The Owls kept piling on, ultimately scoring in four consecutive innings to open a 10-3 lead in the sixth.  Picard got plunked with the bases loaded and Weiterman hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to account for a pair of runs before Halvorsen added a single to center and Weiterman worked a walk with the bases full in the sixth.  Grace Jenkins launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth as the home team scored four times to make it interesting at 10-7, but Olivia Souers limited the damage enough despite traffic from there.  Mitchell singled to the left center gap to begin the seventh on a 3-2 pitch, but Jenkins popped to short and Lily Kenefick bounced to second to put ECSU down to their final out.  Boya worked a walk with two outs on another 3-2 pitch to bring the tying run to the plate, but Souers got Jordan Bennett to fly to right to end it.

Megan Strzegowski got the start and the win, going five innings while allowing six hits and five runs while improving to 5-0.  She walked three and struck out two.

First year Leah Chatfield, the sister of Keene State baseball standout Jonathan Chatfield, started for Eastern Connecticut and took the loss, allowing nine hits and four runs while walking four and striking out two.  Julia Raymond and Hadley Marchand combined to give up six runs in relief.

It was a much-needed win to keep the Owls right in the mix in the conference, particularly after a loss in the opener in which they were limited to just two hits by Mitchell.  ECSU got the only runs they would end up needing in the third, breaking a scoreless tie with RBI singles by Mitchell, Maddy Bowen, and Abby Thompson.

Perhaps KSC's only significant threat came in the opener came in the sixth – and not much of their own doing – as Gostkowski reached on an error and stole second to begin the inning before Weiterman reached on a miscue to bring the tying run to the plate.  But Mitchell got Cainen Avery on a grounder to third to escape trouble and allowed only a single to Gianna Garofola in the seventh while nursing a 4-0 lead after Kenefick's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

Ashley Connor (2-3) allowed seven hits and four runs in six innings, walking three and striking out one.

Mitchell (10-3) was the story, walking three and striking out nine in her complete game effort, throwing 99 pitches.

KSC has four qualified hitters still hitting over .350 (Gostkowski, Halvorsen, Weiterman, and Picard), with Picard and Weiterman each over 30 runs batted in.  Weiterman has driven in at least one run in 15 of 21 games as a sophomore.

"Our relentless lineup and strong defense really helped secure the W for our pitchers in the second game today," said Owls head coach Haley Chandler.  Pinch-hitters Morgan Rodrigues and Connor came up big in that game as well to keep the energy high and help us burn through Eastern's pitching staff.  And Abby Weiterman, man…she is a wall behind the plate in every sense of the word."

"Ashley Connor pitched another heck of a game in the opener, and so did Mitchell," she added.  "Our hitters were certainly feeling frustrated at the plate, but the ability of this crew to hit the big old reset button is admirable.  Meg Strzegowski was a calming force on the mound for us in the second game and set us up for success by keeping Eastern off the bases and off-balance.  I am so proud of how our team held themselves cool and collected throughout this stressful day."

A series that was even for nearly 18 years turned lopsided in some of KSC's recent lean years, with today's win marking the Owls' first over the Warriors since 2016 when they swept all three matchups.  Eleven of the 21 games in the losing streak were decided by three runs or less, including one by two and another by one in extra innings last year in Chandler's first season.

The Owls return home to take on Lasell University (10-15, 6-8 GNAC) for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday (April 16) beginning at 3:00 p.m. before hosting the University of Southern Maine for a pair of LEC games Saturday afternoon.