Coach Condon Reaches Milestone In Softball's Doubleheader Sweep Over Newbury
SOFTBALL SWEEPS NEWBURY IN
DOUBLEHEADER
Head Coach Cheryl Condon Records 300th Career
Victory
CHICOPEE, MA, April 10, 2009 - Sophomore designated player Destiny Meeker (Bantam, CT) went 3 for 3 with eight RBI in game one, including her first collegiate-career grand slam, then teamed with freshman pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, MA) to throw a no-hitter in game two, as the Blazers helped head coach Cheryl Condon to a milestone with 15-1 and 12-0 five-inning, mercy-rule victories over Newbury College in Friday's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball doubleheader at Condon Field.
Elms College (9-9 overall, 7-1 NECC) swept its third conference doubleheader in six days to extend its win streak to six straight and remain in third place in the current conference standings.
Newbury remained winless at 0-22, 0-8 NECC.
The win in game one also marked the 300th collegiate
career victory for Condon, who has been head coach at Elms College
for 23 of the program's 24 seasons and has collected all 301 of her
victories with the Blazers.
Condon, already the winningest coach in Elms College athletic department history, became the first coach in any sport in school-history to win 300 games.
In game one, Meeker belted a two-run double to cap off a three-run, second inning that gave the Blazers a 3-0 lead.
Newbury freshman catcher Ariel Ross (Gales Ferry, CT) delivered a RBI groundout in the fourth to pull the Nighthawks to within 3-1.
From there, however, Meeker stole the show, as she cranked a two-run single to center field then crushed her first career grand slam later in the frame to highlight a 12-run inning in which the Blazers sent 15 batters to the plate.
Meeker finished 3 for 3 with a career-high eight RBI, freshman third baseman Kelly Callahan (Monson, MA) went 2 for 3 and junior second baseman Ally Graffum (Ipswich, MA) finished 2 for 4.
Sophomore pitcher Ani Ramsdell (Gardner, MA) has a no-hit bid broken up when Newbury freshman third baseman Teressa Farioli (East Longmeadow, MA) poked a one-out bloop single down the right field line.
Ramsdell finished with eight strikeouts and issued just three walks to improve her record to 4-5.
In the nightcap, the Blazers plated six runs in the first, then put the game out of reach with a four-run, second that included RBI singles by Graffum, senior shortstop Kerrie Bowden (Chicopee, MA), Callahan and freshman left fielder Kaylyn Conroy (Pittsfield, MA).
That was more than enough offensive for Meeker and Hampton, who combined to strikeout nine of the 15 batters they faced en route to the no-hitter.
Elms College returns to non-conference play on Monday, April 13 when it hosts Smith College in a makeup game at Condon Field. Game time is 4:30 p.m.