Softball holds off Nichols in CCC Play-In Game

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The #6 seed Roger Williams University Softball held off a late run by #7 Nichols College in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Play-In Game, defeating the Bison 3-2.

In the first inning, both teams went three-up and three-down, battling the cold and windy weather. Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) and Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) had two hard-hit balls to the outfield, but heads up catches by Alicia McCauley (North Reading, Mass.) and Taylor Messier (Cranston, R.I.) kept the Bison off base.

Samantha Mittel (Palm Coast, Fla.) earned the first hit of the game for RWU in the bottom of the second, a slow roller up the middle that she was able to beat the throw by the second baseman. After an Alana Peoples (Scarborough, Maine) walk, Meredith Moise (North Reading, Mass.) put the Hawks on the board with a two-out, two-run double to deep center field and put RWU on top 2-0. Mikaelo Grosso (West Warwick, R.I.) followed with an RBI single to short center field to score Moise.

Rachel Dalrymple (Belvidere, N.J.) drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) was able to bring her in with a base hit to short right center to pull Nichols within two.

Meghan Maliga (Suffield, Conn.) set down the Bison lineup in order in the fourth, followed by leading off the bottom of the inning with a walk. However Watkins and Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) played strong defense for the Bison in the inning, as the two turned a double play on the next at-bat. Watkins then made a strong play in the hole, followed by Orszulak making a splitting scoop on a low throw for the third out.

Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the fifth before Watkins notched a one-out single to center. Maliga was able to get a strikeout on a low inside pitch, followed a low line-out to left to end the threat.

In the sixth, Peoples picked up the Hawks' first hit since the third with a single to center. Maliga came up next and punched a single of her own to left. However, Fountain was able get Moise to pop up to third, sending the Bison to the top of the seventh trailing by two.

Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) helped begin the rally with a lead-off deep double to left center. Fountain followed with a single to left, with Drake beating out the throw to third to put runners at the corner with no outs. Sears stepped up and knocked a clutch double off the fence in right center to bring the tying run to third. Dalrymple then hit a grounder to second, but hesitation at third by pinch runner Victoria Utter (Stafford Springs, Conn.) allowed Alicea to throw her out at home. A hard hit ball at Alicea in the next at-bat allowed her to tag Dalrymple and get the out at first for the game-ending double play.

Maliga earned her 12^th win of the year, allowing two runs in seven innings. Mittel was 2-for-3 while Moise was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI.

Fountain took the loss, giving up three runs in six innings. Watkins finished 2-for-3 with an RBI while Sears was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Roger Williams (20-15) will face the #3 seed Curry College at Salve Regina University Tuesday in the first game of the double elimination portion of the CCC Tournament. Nichols ends the season at 12-21

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Players Mentioned

#11 Meghan Maliga: P; 5' 7"; Sophomore; R/R

#2 Taylor Messier: OF; 5' 5"; Sophomore; L/R

#19 Alana Peoples: INF; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

#3 Alicia McCauley: OF; 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R

#4 Meredith Moise: INF; 5' 4"; Freshman; R/R

#21 Samantha Mittel: INF; 5' 10"; Freshman; L/R

Players Mentioned

#11 Meghan Maliga
: 5' 7"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

#2 Taylor Messier
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#19 Alana Peoples
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#3 Alicia McCauley
: 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R
: OF

#4 Meredith Moise
: 5' 4"; Freshman; R/R
: INF

#21 Samantha Mittel
: 5' 10"; Freshman; L/R
: INF