BRISTOL, R.I. – Despite their best efforts late, the Roger Williams University Softball team saw a pair of comeback bids come up short as they dropped a pair to Mitchell College on a chilly Sunday afternoon at Paolino Field. Despite collecting eight hits, the Hawks could not break onto the scoreboard in game one, falling 3-0 before the tying and go-ahead runs were stranded in scoring position in a 6-5 loss in game two.
 
With the pair of defeats, RWU drops to 2-11 on the season and are now 0-5 on their home diamond. The Mariners, meanwhile, get over .500 at 8-6.
 
In the first game, Lia Nocella (Tyngsboro, Mass.) tossed 4.1 innings allowing three runs, only one of them earned, on seven hits and one walk while striking out one to take the loss and fall to 1-3. In game two, RWU starter Ellie Fleming (Marshfield, Mass.) did not end up factoring into the decision and instead it was Taylor Myers (East Haven, Conn.) who ended up on the hook to fall to 0-2 by throwing 5.0+ frames allowing two runs, both earned, on seven hits and a walk while striking out two.
 
Katelyn Lipsky (Plantsville, Conn.) and Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.) each went the distance for the guests. Lipsky improved to 3-4 in game one by throwing her first complete game shutout of the season, allowing eight hits and a walk while fanning four. Reynolds moved to 5-2 after allowing five runs, three of which were earned, on nine hits and a walk.
 
Hawk Highlights
Game 1
Casey Uryga: 3-for-3
Isabelle Rosado: 2-for-4
Taylor Howell: 1-for-3, 2B
Maddie Predaris: 1-for-3
Lia Nocella: (L, 1-3), 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
 
For The Opponents
Gemma Landry: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 RS
Hannah Lemke: 2-for-3, RS
Alex Lopez: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI
Jenna Bennett: 1-for-2, BB, RBI
 
Katelyn Lipsky: (W, 3-4), 7.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
 
How It Happened
It required Mitchell a mere three pitches to open the scoring in the first contest as with a 1-1 count, Gemma Landry (Lewiston, Maine) would deposit the Lia Nocella (Tyngsboro, Mass.) offering over the left field fence for the leadoff home run. It was Landry's second of the season. In the home half of the inning, Roger Williams got a runner into scoring position as Isabelle Rosado (Central Islip, N.Y.) blooped a two-out single into right and swiped second, but she was stranded and that would unfortunately be a theme in the contest for RWU. They left nine runners on the bases in the game, including six in scoring position.
 
Following the big fly by the first batter of the game, Nocella would settle in for the Hawks. She did allow a pair of unearned runs in the third. Landry lined a single up the middle and Hannah Lemke (East Haddam, Conn.) dropped down a sacrifice bunt but Emma MacLean (Newton, Mass.), who was covering the first-base bag on the play, could not complete the catch. An RBI-groundout by Jenna Bennett (Shelton, Conn.) brought in the run and after a pop out for the second out, Alex Lopez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) clubbed a double into right-center to plate another tally.
 
The Mariners threatened for more in the fifth, loading the bases with one out via a single, a walk and a hit batsman. That ended Nocella's outing as Ellie Fleming (Marshfield, Mass.) entered and escaped the jam with a strikeout and a lineout.
 
The Hawks would have their best scoring chance in the sixth inning. Rosado led off with her second single of the day before Taylor Howell (Sandwich Mass.) ripped a two-bagger into left center. Two batters later, Maddie Predaris (Rye, N.H.) reached on a swinging-bunt single toward third to load the bags for Francesca Cioffi (Brewster, N.Y.). Cioffi would catch a barrel but unluckily for her it was directly at the second baseman and to make matters worse, Predaris was doubled off first to end the threat.
 
Roger Williams once again nearly broke through in the home half of the seventh Bay Naples (Livingston, N.J.) drew a leadoff free pass and Casey Uryga (Berlin, Conn.) collected her third knock of the game with a liner into shallow left as the hosts brought the tying run to the plate with no outs. However, Katelyn Lipsky (Plantsville, Conn.) found a way out of it again inducing a fly out, a pop out, and a groundout to complete the shutout.  
Game 2
Casey Uryga: 2-for-3, 2 RBI
Taylor Howell: 2-for-3, 2B, RS
Caroline Thomas: 1-for-1, 2 RBI
Alex Burdick: 0-for-1, RBI, RS
 
Ellie Fleming: 1.0+ IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Taylor Myers: (L, 0-2), 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
 
For The Opponents
Brooke Whitmarsh: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, RS
Jenna Bennett: 3-for-3, BB, 2 RS
Hannah Lemke: 2-for-4, 2 RS
Gemma Landry: 2-for-4, RS
 
Emily Reynolds: (W, 5-2), 7.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
 
How It Happened
Ellie Fleming (Marshfield, Mass.) got the start for Roger Williams after completing the first contest as a reliever and it seems that the break between games really affected her as Mitchell once again wasted little time getting on the board. Gemma Landry (Lewiston, Maine) and Hannah Lemke (East Haddam, Conn.) got it started with a pair of singles then Jenna Bennett (Shelton, Conn.) drew a walk to fill the pillows with no outs. Brooke Whitmarsh (Portsmouth, R.I.) took advantage with a single to left to plate a run. Alex Lopez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) drew a bases loaded walk to bring in another run before Emma LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) rolled one over to second. Madison Tobin (Pittsfield, Mass.) handled it, applying a tag on Lopez and finishing the double play with the throw to first but another run crossed the plate in the process. Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.) followed by rocketing a grounder to second that Tobin laid out to knock down, but she could not get the out as the fourth run of the frame scored, making the score 4-0 in favor of the guests.
 
Mitchell looked to get going again in the second as Landry led off with a single, ending Fleming's outing as Taylor Myers (East Haven, Conn.) entered. She promptly induced your average 5-4-6-7-8 double play that saw Lemke ground out to third then Landry get caught too far off the bag at second, get into a rundown and eventually tagged out by Jax Beaulieu (Sandwich, Mass.) who came all the way in from centerfield during the course of the play.
 
The RWU offense that to that point had been as frigid as the March air, finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Bay Naples (Livingston, N.J.) walked, and Taylor Howell (Sandwich Mass.) got plunked and each of them were subsequently pinch run for by Emma MacLean (Newton, Mass.) and Kaylin Fehan (Plymouth, Mass.) respectively. Two batters later, Alexandra Lombardo (Thomaston, Conn.) crushed a deep flyout to center that allowed both runners to advance and it paid off as pinch-hitter Caroline Thomas (Cranston, R.I.) singled into center cutting the deficit in half.
 
The Mariners got their lead back to three on a Sarah Aviles (Griswold, Conn.) single before Roger Williams battled back to get even in the home half of the sixth. Howell got it going with a single and Lombardo reached on an error before both moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Alex Burdick (Jewett City, Conn.) entered as a pinch hitter and hit a grounder to short. Landry opted to come home with the throw, but Howell beat it as the ball got away allowing Burdick to take second. Two batters later, Casey Uryga (Berlin, Conn.) continued her breakout afternoon at the plate, singling through the right side to score two and tie the score at five.
 
Mitchell grabbed the lead again in the top of the seventh. Lemke and Bennett opened the frame with back-to-back singles and Whitmarsh doubled over the centerfielders head to score a run and make the score 6-5. Avlies drew a free pass to load the bases ending Myers' day in the circle as Nicole Corey (Dighton, Mass.) came in and she found a way out of it. Twice Corey forced a groundout, the first to third and the second back to her, and on both occasions RWU was able to erase the runner coming to the plate. A pop out by Brooke Taylor (Uncasville, Conn.) ended the threat with limited damage done.
 
Heading into their final at-bat, Roger Williams was trailing by just one and they would have a chance to tie it up. With one out, Naples reached on an infield single then Howell blasted a double over the right fielder's head putting the go-ahead run at second and the tying run just 90 feet away with one out. Maddie Predaris (Rye, N.H.) came up and hit a fly ball to right that was caught as Naples bluffed to the plate prompting a throw that ended up sailing high, but it did not get far enough away to allow Naples to score. Lombardo came up as the team's last chance and she got a good piece, driving one to center but it was run down for the final out.
 
What's Next
Roger Williams hits the road in their final tune-ups before opening conference play as they will travel to play Anna Maria College on Wednesday, March 30^th. First pitch is set for 3:00 PM.