Softball Earns Double-Header Split With Daniel Webster College

NASHUA, N.H. – The Elms College softball team earned a double-header split with Daniel Webster College with the Eagles claiming a 6-4 victory in the opener while the Blazers secured a 7-1 win in the nightcap during Sunday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at Eagle Field.

With the split, Elms improves to 5-10 overall, 4-2 in NECC action, while Daniel Webster moves to 8-12 overall, 5-3 in conference action.

Daniel Webster 6, Elms 4

In game one, Daniel Webster opened up a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Ashley England (Old Town, Maine) singled to lead off the frame, advanced to third on a double by Mollie Bartles (Torrington, Conn.) and then scored on an outfield error by Elms to set the score at 1-0. A single by Heather Strong (Palmer, Mass.) scored Bartles and Chelsey Crawford (Westfield, Mass.) drove Strong home with a triple to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead. After Blazers' sophomore reliever Elizabeth Patient (Leicester, Mass.) tossed a strikeout to get the second out of the inning, Wilson connected for an RBI single to push Crawford across and increase the lead to 4-0 before Patient rung up her second batter of the inning to get Elms out of the jam.

The Blazers rallied for a run in the top of the second when freshman right fielder Kierstan Skinner (South Windsor, Conn.) cracked a leadoff double and then scored on a one-out two-bagger by sophomore designated player Gianna Gonyea (East Longmeadow, Mass.) to set the score at 4-1 in favor of Daniel Webster.

The Eagles held its three-run lead until the bottom of the fourth when Theresa DiSantis (Hinsdale, Mass.) cranked a two-out, two-run home run to center field to give Daniel Webster a 6-1 lead.

Elms cut its deficit in half in the top of the fourth when junior first baseman Ally Witaszek (Feeding Hills, Mass.) and senior third baseman Rachel Butt (Agawam, Mass.) delivered run scoring singles to set the score at 6-3. Elms then pulled to within two in the top of the sixth when freshman shortstop Taylor Skinner (South Windsor, Conn.) singled in Gonyea who reached on a two-out base hit earlier in the frame to narrow the gap to 6-4.

Daniel Webster's starting pitcher Sara Pelkey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.), who pitched all seven innings in the win for the Eagles, then retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to secure the 6-4 win for Daniel Webster.

Pelkey finished with five strikeouts to improve to 5-2 in the circle on the season, while Elms' freshman starter Jamie Miner (Chicopee, Mass.) suffered the loss allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits in just .1 innings of work to fall to 2-2 on the season.

Patient struck out four batters in 3.2 innings of relief, while sophomore Jessica Colson (Agawam, Mass.) fanned three batters in the final two innings and retired the side in order in both the sixth and seventh frames. Gonyea and Taylor Skinner were each 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI, while senior center fielder Leah Spring (South Hadley, Mass.) was 2 for 4 in the loss for Elms.

Amanda Wilson (Merrimack, N.H.) was 3 for 3 in the game, while Bartles, DiSantis, Crawford and Sarah Durocher (Keene, N.H.) each had two hits in the winning effort.

Elms 7, Daniel Webster 1

In the nightcap, Elms was aided by four costly Eagle errors all coming in the second inning leading to five unearned runs for a 5-0 lead after two.

Butt went 3 for 4 to lead Elms, knocking in two runs, while Kierstan Skinner and Witaszek added two hits apiece.

Bartles had a pair of hits for Daniel Webster while Crawford added an RBI single to score DiSantis, who had doubled to lead off the fourth frame, for the Eagles' only run.

Elms would tack on single runs in the sixth and seventh.

Colson picked up her first win of the season (1-4) for the Blazers, allowing one earned run on four hits, striking out 10 and walking one.

Dallas Fonck (Enfield, Conn.) took the loss (1-1) for Daniel Webster, allowing just two earned runs on 11 hits, striking out one and walking three.

Elms returns to NECC action on Tuesday, April 9 when it hosts Becker College for a double-header beginning at 2:00 p.m. at Cheryl R. Condon Field.