BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Softball team claimed its fifth straight win with a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Nazarene College Wednesday afternoon, winning 10-1 in six innings followed by a 5-1 victory.
The Hawks claimed the first game against the Lions after an explosive six-run 5th inning. They then went on to score four more in the 6th, and hold the Lions to one lone run. Pitcher Jaclyn Doolin (Miller Place, N.Y.) was spot-on, striking out eight and giving up only two hits and no walks in seven innings of work.
Before the 5th inning, the two teams had been evenly matched. The sole Eastern Nazarene run came in the third inning when Samantha Losano (Elverta, Calif.) scored from second on an RBI single by Taylor Fleming (Upland, Ind.)
That was the last anyone would hear from the Lions for the remainder of the game, as the tide quickly turned in favor of the Hawks. They broke the game wide open in the fifth inning, batting through the order in a team effort to score six runs. Hannah Pirez (Bolton, Mass.) smacked a triple into right field and the rest of the lineup quickly followed suit, stringing together hit after hit to take the lead and hold it for the remainder of the game.
Offensively for the Hawks, Erica Castro (Medford, Mass.) finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, with Doolin and Pirez adding two hits apiece. Natasha Stone (Harrison, N.Y.) went 1-for-1 with an RBI and two runs scored.
For the Lions, Jaime Block (Pembroke, Mass.) took the loss, surrendering all ten runs in six innings pitched. Fleming and Bethany Greenfield (Parsippany, N.J.) each h had a hit in the game for Eastern Nazarene.
In the nightcap, the Hawks began their rally in the top of the second, with Kelly Marcin (Windsor Locks, Conn.), Doolin, and Kaitlyn Costa (Cranston, R.I.) leading off with singles to load the bases. Marcin would score on a miscue at second, followed by a two-RBI double by Lauren Tierney (Middleboro, Mass.). Holding on to their 3-0 lead, the Hawks added one more in the third on an RBI double to center by Doolin.
Eastern Nazarene scored its lone run of the game in the third, with Laura Giberson (Hingham, Mass.) coming in from third on a failed pickoff attempt. The Hawks would get that run back in the following inning via an RBI double by Sarah Grill (Watervliet, N.Y.)
Marcin earned the win for the Hawks, pitching five innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts. Stacy Broughton (Newtown, Mass.) pitched the final two innings, recording four strikeouts. Tierney finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI, while Pirez and Doolin each added two hits and a run.
Abigail Moore (Sheridan, Calif.) took the loss, tagged for all five runs in 3.1 innings on nine hits. Hannah Moore pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Fleming had the only hits in the game for the Lions, going 2-for-3 with a run.
Roger Williams (11-12, 9-1 TCCC) hosts Endicott College on the team's Think Pink Day, while Eastern Nazarene (7-13, 5-5 TCCC) travels to Western New England College tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
