Softball Downs Southern Vermont in Conference Twinbill

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College softball squad pushed their win streak to four games with a doubleheader sweep of Southern Vermont in New England Collegiate Conference action Monday afternoon at Cheryl R. Condon Field. The Blazers blanked the Mountaineers, 3-0, in the opener, and then claimed a 7-4 victory in game two.

After three scoreless frames began play, Elms cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth as senior Gina DiGiovanni (Springfield, Mass.) delivered an RBI single through the middle of the diamond, staking the Blazers to a 1-0 lead. The Blazers pushed their lead to 2-0 in the fifth as senior Rachel Beery (Springfield, Mass.) scampered home on a passed ball from Mountaineers senior pitcher Emily Fleming (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.). Elms tacked on their final run on an RBI sacrifice bunt from DiGiovanni, to secure the 3-0 victory for Elms.

Blazers senior pitcher Bethany Grimes (3-4; Terryville, Conn.) logged her sixth complete game of the year, limiting Southern Vermont to just two hits in seven innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts. Fleming (1-5) took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits with five strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Elms built an early 2-0 lead in the first behind RBI singles from sophomore Kacey Gifford (Suffield, Conn.) and DiGiovanni. In the second, the Blazers pushed their lead to 4-0 as junior Kierstan Skinner (South Windsor, Conn.) laced a two-run single to centerfield. Beery delivered a sacrifice fly in the third, plating Grimes to extend the Blazers lead to 5-0. A sacrifice fly from Grimes gave Elms a 6-0 advantage after four innings.

The Mountaineers chipped away at their deficit in the sixth, capitalizing on errors by the Blazers. Southern Vermont senior Erika Garay (Walnut, Calif.) led the frame off with a single, and then came around to score on a fielding error from Elms. Mountaineers senior Shelby Jones (Hossick Falls, N.Y.) knocked an RBI single, followed by an RBI single from Fleming to trim the Blazers lead to 6-3. Jones scored on an errant pick-off throw at third from Skinner behind the plate to make it a 6-4 game. The Blazers added a final run in the seventh, and then Elms senior Jessica Colson (Agawam, Mass.) sat Southern Vermont down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame to secure the 7-4 win. 

Colson (2-4) went the distance for the Blazers, surrendering one earned run on four hits with a season-high nine strikeouts. Southern Vermont senior Hayley McDonald (0-2; Latham, N.Y.) took the loss, allowing six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts. 

"It's always nice when you can take two in conference," said Elms Head Coach Cheryl Condon. "Defensively and on the mound we were really good today, and that's been the key for us. Our hitters came around a little bit, but we were shut down some innings, so it made it a little bit tougher, but we battled back and stayed in control. I want to improve on our urgency to the ball, no more called third strikes, and also to have a little more communication." 

With the sweep, the Blazers improved to 5-9 overall, and 4-2 in NECC action, while the Mountaineers dropped to 2-7, and 0-4 on the season. Elms is scheduled to return to play in a non-conference home tilt against Trinity (Conn.) Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Southern Vermont hosts Bay Path in conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

ELMS SOFTBALL