NASHUA, N.H. – Abby Weiterman homered and drove in a pair of runs to move within two of Elyse Picard for the team RBI lead as the Keene State College softball team took the broom to Rivier University on Wednesday in non-conference action, winning a wild opener 7-6 in eight innings before pulling away to take the nightcap 6-2 at the Raider Diamond.

Continuing a busy eight-game week with a twinbill against the Raiders (13-19) originally slated for March 29, it served as a bounce back chance after yesterday's home results against the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth – and the Owls (16-13) made good on it, rallying from a 4-0 deficit with six straight runs and then answering a two-run bottom of the seventh with the eventual game-winning run in the eighth to take the first game.  KSC jumped on top with a pair early in the second contest and later 3-0 before the home team closed back within a run in the sixth but then used a strong finishing push with a three-run seventh to put the game away.

The victories matched the Owls' win total from a season ago in head coach Haley Chandler's first season, with the 2013 KSC alum continuing to rebuild a program that has five Little East Conference championships to their name and eight NCAA tournament regional appearances.

Some of the pieces that hope to get Keene State back to that point were on display today, with first years Anna Gostkowski and Cainen Avery each notching three-hit games in the opener to set the table for the feared duo of Weiterman and Picard, who are in a fierce battle trying to track down the Owl single-season RBI record of Katie Allenson, who had 42 in 2008.  Today, Picard tied Chander's 37 in 2009 for seventh on the all-time single-season RBI list.

It was Weiterman's blast in the top of the sixth that got the Owls going two pitches in, and KSC took off from there, as Jayme Kiley followed with a base hit and Gianna Garofola walked to bring the tying run to the plate.    Two batters later, pinch-hitter Megan Strzegowski worked a five-pitch walk to load the bases.  Lily Mandel then lofted a sacrifice fly to center to plate one to make it 4-2, and Gostkowski went the other way on a two-strike count for an RBI base hit that drew the Owls within a run.

Hailey Merrill then delivered a shutdown inning that was over in the blink of an eye – six pitches in fact – and the Owls' middle of the order set up a go-ahead uprising in the seventh as Picard led off with a double.  After Weiterman fouled out, Kiley reached on a miscue by shortstop Kylee Caetano to put runners on the corners, including the tying run at third.  Garofola then did her job and more, reaching on an infield single in the same direction to make it 4-4.  A wild pitch put two in scoring position, and senior Morgan Rodrigues then laid down a perfect bunt single that plated two runs to put KSC ahead (6-4) for the first time.

Rivier refused to go quietly, however, as Caetano singled into left to bring the tying run to the plate and then scored two batters later on Sophia Quinlan's one-out RBI double.  Pinch-hitter Liv Harnish then followed with a bounding ball into right that scored Quinlan as the Raiders tied it in four batters.  Harish was thrown out at second on the play though to prevent the winning run from getting on base.  Chandler turned to Ashley Connor in the circle to get out of the inning, and despite a dicey start as she plunked Natalie Benac and walked Emma Politz, she ultimately did send the game to extras after Silva's fielder's choice grounder to second.

The Owls cashed in the automatic runner on second in the eighth, as Mandel advanced Kalee Keyser to third with a fly out before Gostkowski's squeeze bunt that turned into a base hit as it rolled toward shortstop delivered the go-ahead run and a 7-6 advantage.  KSC threatened for a big inning as Avery and Picard followed with base hits, but Hailey Berube (9-9) got out of it with any further damage.  It seemed that was going to be big when Silva moved to third on a wild pitch, but the Owls came through with an even bigger play as Avry Nelson bounced to second and Avery got the out at first before Mandel fired home to get Silva trying to score as Garofola made an impressive tag.  Connor (3-4) then got Olivia Couto to ground to third to help KSC polish off their first win when trailing after five innings this season.

The nightcap was a story of missed offensive chances early, as the two teams combined to strand 11 baserunners over the first three and a half innings, but KSC did jump on the board right away as Avery walked and then scored along with Weiterman as a grounder to short turned into two runs thanks to a pair of errors.  The Owls made it 3-0 in the top of the third when the top of their lineup came through again as Avery led off with a walk, Picard doubled, and Weiterman pulled a single into left.

Couto's solo home run with two down in the bottom half of the inning got the Raiders on the board, but it was a strong rebound effort from Olivia Souers (2-5), who allowed only that run and four hits over five innings while walking three and striking out two.

It stayed 3-1 into the sixth after the Owls stranded a pair in the fourth before Souers faced the minimum in both the fourth and the fifth, but the home team again came through with a big two-out hit in the bottom of the sixth as Hayley Rapaglia doubled to plate Couto.  Rivier tried to plate Harnish, who had just singled to put two on, but Gostkowski threw her out at the plate as KSC came up with a big defensive play just as they did in Saturday's 5-2 victory over the University of Southern Maine in the second game.

Picard (walk) and Weiterman (single) then set the table as the Owls put the game away in their half of the seventh.  Kiley pushed both into scoring position with a productive 4-3 groundout on a two-strike pitch, and Garofola came through with an RBI single that bounded into left to make it 4-2.  Another successful squeeze bunt, this one from Marina Gronbach, brought home another, and another costly miscue put the Owls ahead by four.  Megan Strzegowski then worked a comfortable seventh that included a strikeout to lock down KSC's road win, where they improved to 7-6.

"Today was a great reset button for us," said Chandler.  "The entire pitching staff contributed and our hitters were able to score runs in different ways than we have been used to this season."

KSC plays four more away from their home field this weekend, including an important Little East Conference doubleheader at Rhode Island College (20-10, 5-5 LEC) this Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m.  The Anchorwomen have lost three of four, splitting with Eastern Connecticut State University this past Tuesday on the road, but are 8-2 at home.