BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Softball team lost their third-straight home game, falling 5-1 to the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats at Paolino Field on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Hawk Highlights
Sydney Provencal: 2-for-4
Emma MacLean: 1-for-2
Alex Burdick: 1-for-1, 1 RBI
Taylor Howell: 2-for-3
Francesca Cioffi: 1-for-1
 
Taylor Myers: (L, 0-1), 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Ellie Fleming: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
 
For The Opponents
Mackenzie Clee: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RS
Julia HuziL 1-for-4, 1 RS
Jill Pulek: 1-for-3, 1 RS, 1 BB
Meaghan Gurska: 0-for-1, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 RS
 
Summer Ramundo: (W, 2-0), 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
 
How It Happened
On a cold afternoon at Paolino Field, the bats were as frozen as the Bristol air at the contest's outset. Outside of a Sydney Provencal (Cumberland, R.I.) leadoff single that saw her end up stranded at third, the only other action came for the Wildcats after Taylor Myers (East Haven, Conn.) plunked Meaghan Gurska (Revere, Mass.). Gurska turned the free base into a steal of second, before advancing to third on a bunt from Megan Antaya (Somerset, Mass.) and then crossed the plate due to a throwing error from Taylor Howell (Sandwich Mass.) as JWU got on the board without the benefit of a hit. Outside of the hit batter, Myers was solid on the mound for the Hawks through the first four frames of the contest, striking out two, while only allowing two hits, both of which came in the fourth, but Myers worked out of the jam to keep RWU within one.
 
With the Hawks offense still trying to find their stride, the Wildcats started to pull ahead, with a two-out double in the top of the fifth inning by Mackenzie Clee (Warminster, Penn.) that saw Danielle Floyd (Cheshire, Conn.) advance to third. Julia Huzi (Trumbull, Conn.) followed that up by knocking a ground ball just under the glove of Jamie Wells (Castle Rock, Colo.), allowing the two base runners to reach home, extending the Wildcats lead. The E6 ended the day for Myers, and she was on the hook despite not allowing an earned run during her outing.
 
Lia Nocella (Tyngsboro, Mass.) came in for relief of Myers, and with two outs, walked the first two batters she faced, loading the bases in the process, but the Hawks brought in Ellie Fleming (Marshfield, Mass.) to end the top of the fifth. The Hawks finally got their second hit of the contest when Howell singled into shallow right-center field, but similar to the first inning, she was left stranded on the bases.
 
RWU looked to piece something together with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Provencal knocked another base hit into shallow left field, and Emma MacLean (Newton, Mass.) followed suit putting a ground ball of her own through the shortstop hole. A Bay Naples (Livingston, N.J.) walk loaded the bases for Alexandra Lombardo (Thomaston, Conn.) who ambushed the first pitch she saw, driving one into deep center field but it was chased down by Carolina Amorelli (Winslow, N.J.) to send the game into the seventh.
 
In the top of the seventh, Fleming got a quick out before a single to right field by Huzi, which was followed up by the Roger Williams defense tallying their fourth error of the contest on a tailor-made double play ball, giving JWU two baserunners on. Fleming fanned the next batter before Hailey Erickson (Calimesa, Calif.) put a single up the middle, bringing Huzi home and advancing Jill Pulek (Cheshire, Conn.) to third. Erickson worked her way into a pickle trying to steal second, but she was able to stay in it long enough to plate Pulek to increase the Wildcats lead to five, all of which were unearned runs.
 
RWU started to mount a comeback in the final frame, with Howell leading off the action by knocking a single up the middle. Francesca Cioffi (Brewster, N.Y.) and Alex Burdick (Jewett City, Conn.) came in as pinch hitters, notching singles of their own, with the latter bringing home the pinch runner, Maddie Predaris (Rye, N.H.). The Hawks third pinch hitter, Taylor Bigliani (Saint James, N.Y.) struck out looking giving the home squad two outs with two runners on before Provencal popped out to the second baseman, ending the Hawks comeback attempt.
 
What's Next
Roger Williams University (2-9): Friday, March 25 vs. Rhode Island College (DH) @ 3:00pm
Johnson & Wales University (10-1): Thursday, March 24 vs. Salve Regina University (DH) @ 4:00pm