WENHAM, Mass. – In a game to determine who would play the #3 seed University of New England College and move on to Saturday's TCCC softball tournament games, the #5 seeded Roger Williams Softball team defeated #3 seed Nichols 3-1 in eight innings but would fall to UNE in the second game 7-6.
In the opener, the Hawks prevail behind strong pitching from junior Jaclyn Doolin (Miller Place, N.Y.) and timely hitting in extra innings. Doolin went the distance, striking out 10 batters while allowing just one earned run on five hits and a walk. Doolin (12-7) held the Bison scoreless with just two hits through the first seven innings before allowing a run in the bottom of the eighth with her team already up three runs.
Doolin's counterpart, Bison senior Kara Buckley (Nashua, N.H.), also pitched eight innings and allowed three earned runs in the top of the eighth despite holding the Hawks scoreless through seven innings. She struck out three batters in the game.
With the score tied 0-0 in the top of the eighth, Roger Williams loaded the bases with no outs on a double by Erica Castro (Medford, N.Y.), a single and a stolen base by Hannah Pirez (Bolton, Mass.) and a walk by Kara Lewis (Taunton, Mass.). The next batter, sophomore Kelly Marcin (Windsor Locks, Conn.) hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Castro from third. Doolin came to the plate and doubled to left center to bring in Pirez from second base. Freshman Kaitlyn Costa (Cranston, R.I.) then singled to right field to bring in the inning's final run, giving the Hawks a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the eighth, the Bison roped three singles by freshman Allasyn Lieneck (Oldsmar, Fla.), junior Chelsea Correia (Seekonk, Mass.) and junior Savannah Thibault (Marlborough, Mass.) to load the bases with two out. Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) grounded a fielder's choice RBI to the shortstop that nearly missed a force out at third base. Doolin, however, escaped the jam by forcing the final batter to fly out to right field to end the game at 3-1 in favor of Roger Williams.
In the Hawks' second game, the Nor'easters jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind a three RBIs by junior catcher Ashley Gott (Winterport, Maine). Gott roped a double down the left field line in the first inning that scored two runners and grounded out to second base to plate another in the second.
UNE pitcher Erin Lyons (Salem, N.H.) cruised through the first five innings, allowing just one run in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI double to left center by Roger Williams junior Castro. The Nor'easters tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth on an Amanda Vaudreuil (Windham, N.H.) double to right field that drove in a runner, making the score 7-1 in favor of UNE.
In the top of the sixth, however, the Hawks got their offense rolling with five runs on two big hits by senior Sarah Grill (Watervliet, N.Y.) and junior Pirez. After a bases loaded walk by Lauren Tierney (Middleboro, Mass.) brought in a run, Grill cracked a two-RBI double down the left field line. An error brought home another runner and with two outs, Pirez hit a double to left center to cap off the Roger Williams scoring.
UNE went into the final inning with a 7-6 lead. In the top of the seventh, with Roger Williams needing one run to tie, the Hawks put the tying run on second base with two outs before the final batter fouled out to the catcher to end the game.
UNE's Lyons (9-7) earned the win by striking out four batters in 5 2/3 innings while allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits and three walks. Roger Williams' Marcin suffered the loss and dropped to 6-11 on the season. Hawks junior Doolin came on in relief in the final inning and struck out three batters in-a-row.
Roger Williams bows out of the TCCC Tournament and finishes the season with a record of 20-24.
- Release courtesy of the Endicott College Sports Information Department
