BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Softball team earned a pair of Commonwealth Coast Conference wins over Eastern Nazarene College Wednesday afternoon by the scores 6-4 and 8-0.

 

Eastern Nazarene's Jacqueline Tierney (Taunton, Mass.) gave the Crusaders an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the top of the first, sending home Stephanie Pestilli (Norwell, Mass.). The Hawk would erase the deficit in the bottom of the frame. After Jen Lyford (Raynham, Mass.) and Callie Nealon (Hopkinton, Mass.) each got on base via a walk, Andrea Gregory (Toms River, N.J.) knocked the two in with a three-run home run to left center, putting RWU up 3-1.

 

After both teams traded runs in the fourth inning, Eastern Nazarene knotted the game at four in the fifth with RBIs off of the bats of Janna Fernandes (Taunton, Mass.) and Malaina Genovese (Hingham, Mass.).

 

In the Hawks' half in the inning, RWU would take advantage of Crusader miscues to score the go-ahead runs. Nealon and Gregory each walked to begin the inning. Nealon would eventually score on a wild pitch, while Gregory later crossed the plate on a throwing error. The 6-4 score would hold up over the remaining innings as RWU came away with the win.

 

Lyford, Gregory, Nealon each scored twice in the game, while Gregory went the distance for her fourth win of the season.

 

Eastern Nazarene's Rebekah Sorensen (Quincy, Mass.) took the loss, giving up all six runs in 4.1 innings of work. Offensively, Tierney went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.

 

The second game saw both teams locked in a pitcher's duel throughout the first five innings, with the Hawks holding on to a slim 1-0 lead gain in the bottom of the first. In the inning, Lyford got on with an infield hit, and then stole second and third base before coming around to score on an RBI groundout by Nealon.

 

From that point, the game belonged to RWU's Alexandra Sera (Newton, Mass.) and Eastern Nazarene's Rachel Sorensen (Quincy, Mass.). Sera gave up only one hit, a single to Jami Swedick, over the course of the game and didn't allow a single ball to reach the outfield. Rachel Sorensen was equally impressive over the first five innings, scattering three hits between the second and fifth innings, including a three-pitch fourth inning.

 

Things got away from Eastern Nazarene in the bottom of the sixth, as the Hawks strung together seven runs on five hits in the inning to earn the win.

 

Lyford was perfect at the plate in the game, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Nealon was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, two of which were in the seven-run sixth inning.

 

Roger Williams (7-7, 2-0 TCCC) is back in action Friday in a non-conference game with Fitchburg State College at 3:00 p.m., while Eastern Nazarene (0-14, 0-2 TCCC) hosts Nichols College Saturday at 1:00 p.m.