Lyons improve to 11-3 in last 14 by sweeping Eastern Connecticut State

April 10, 2007

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College softball team moved to 11-3 in its past 14 games by sweeping a non-conference doubleheader from Eastern Connecticut State University, 9-3 and 12-4 in five innings on Tuesday at Clark Field. The Lyons, who recorded an eight-run mercy rule victory for the seventh time during that stretch, improved to 17-11, while the Warriors fell to 12-9.

The visitors broke on top in the first inning of the opener, as senior Karen Taber (Deep River, CT/Valley Regional) and sophomore Rachel Denny (East Haddam, CT/Nathan Hale-Ray) doubled one batter apart to produce a run, but Wheaton senior Jessica DePolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) doubled home the tying run in the bottom of the inning before scoring on an error. Senior Nicole Lachance (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) was hit by a pitch the following inning to force in another run.

Senior Leigha Abair (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford) sent a leadoff homer to left in the third to make it 3-2, and Taber's RBI double drew the teams even in the fourth inning. However, the Lyons broke it open with four runs on five fourth-inning hits. Lachance's leadoff double was followed by a two-run longball from freshman Merry MacDonald (Braintree, MA/Braintree), and junior Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) and sophomore Lynn Cotto (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield) later added RBI singles. Two more Lyon runs scored in the fifth, with sophomore Stacey Kelleher's (Brockton, MA/Brockton) run-scoring double proving to be the big blow.

Junior Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) yielded three runs on five hits over six innings, striking out six and walking four. MacDonald finished 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI, while sophomore Brady Benton (Concord, NH/Concord) also had three hits. DePolito finished 2-for-2 with two runs and two walks, while Cotto and Marini banged out two hits apiece. Taber's 2-for-4 showing was the Warriors' best offensive performance. Sophomore Katie Pensiero (Stamford, CT/Stamford) gave up seven earned runs on 13 hits and walked five with two strikeouts in four innings.

Junior Krystle Denny's (West Haven, CT/West Haven) RBI single in the first inning of game two gave Eastern Connecticut State another early lead, but Wheaton scored 12 of the next 13 runs. Three came home in the first, as Kelleher and junior Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) smacked run-scoring base hits.

Junior Meredith Gorton (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) led off the second inning with a long double off the middle of the left center fence to spark a four-run frame. Kelleher later doubled two runs home, Poulton beat out an infield RBI single, and DePolito scored on an error. Junior Kate Livingston (West Hartford, CT/Conard) homered with two outs in the fourth to bring the Warriors within 7-2, but five Lyons scored on three hits in the bottom half. Marini's three-run drive beyond the left field fence was the key hit, while Poulton stroke an RBI double.

Kelleher went 2-for-2 with three runs and three RBI, while Poulton was 3-for-3 with three RBI. Marini had two hits and drove in three runs, while MacDonald rapped two hits and scored twice. DePolito and Lachance also each scored two runs, while freshman Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) went the distance for the win. Bagley yielded four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in five innings.

Rachel Denny knocked an RBI single in the fifth to finish off a 2-for-3 game, while Krystle Denny drove in a fifth-inning run for her second RBI of the contest. Abair went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Livingston went 2-for-2. Sophomore Lisa Cody (Webster, MA/Bartlett) yielded 10 earned runs on 12 hits and three walks in four innings.

Wheaton returns to play on Friday when it travels for a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader at United States Coast Guard Academy beginning at 3:00 p.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/10/07.
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