NEWPORT, R.I. – The season came to a close Wednesday afternoon for the #7-seeded Roger Williams University Softball team, as #6 Salve Regina University edged past the Hawks 2-1 in the play-in game of the TCCC Tournament.

 

Salve Regina's Gabriella Vitale (Danvers, Mass.) gave the Seahawks their first score of the game in the second inning. Vitale drew a walk, then reached second via a sacrifice bunt by Jennifer Sousa (East Greenwich, R.I.). After advancing to third on a wild pitch, she came around to score on an error at first base. The Seahawks added one more in the following inning on back-to-back doubles by Sarah Jakiela (Meriden, Conn.) and Vitale.

 

The Hawks got on the board for the first time in the game when LeEllen Lewis (Brunswick, Md.) singled in Jen Lyford (Raynham, Mass.) in the fourth to cut the gap to one. At that point, Jakiela held the Hawk offense in check, holding RWU hitless in the fifth and sixth innings.

 

RWU looked ready to rally in the seventh, when Andrea Gregory (Toms River, N.J.) led off the inning with a single and was pinch ran for by Renee Bilotti (Bristol, R.I.). Callie Nealon (Hopkinton, Mass.) sacrificed Bilotti over to second, but Bilotti attempted to advance an extra base with the third baseman out of position. Second baseman Sarah Ramsey (Muncy, Pa.) saw Bilotti rounding second and threw her out at third as a leftfielder Emily Rodenhiser made a heads-up defensive play to cover third and convert the double play. Samantha Teves (Somerset, Mass.) grounded out to third to end the game.

 

Jakiela picked up the win, allowing three hits and one run while striking out eight. Gregory took the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings of work. Gregory, Lewis, and Lyford got all three hits for the Hawks, while Rodenhiser got two hits in addition to the key put-out.

 

Roger Williams finishes the season 19-22 overall and 13-11 in the conference. Salve Regina (19-20) advances to play #3 Western New England College tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. at Nichols College.