MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College softball team earned two walk off victories over visiting Newbury College in a non-conference doubleheader at D. Forbes Will Field on Friday afternoon. The Colonels took game one over the Nighthawks by a 9-8 final and then captured the sweep with a 8-7 win in the nightcap. Curry improves to .500 at 9-9 while Newbury slips to 5-11 overall.
GAME ONE
The Nighthawks struck first in the top of the second on a double to right field by Tina Babcock (Ayer, Mass.), which scored Mallory Stephan (Thorton, Colo.). Elizabeth Kia (Kea'au, Hawaii) followed an RBI base knock of her own to bring Babcock in to grab a 2-0 lead. Newbury then capped the frame with a two-RBI single to give the road team a 4-0 advantage.
Curry answered right back in their half of the second, tallying five runs. Jess Saluti (Braintree, Mass.) started the frame with a two-RBI double to drive in Molly Horn (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) and Michaela Colleran (East Bridgewater, Mass.). The frame continued when Mikayla Lambert (Blackstone, Mass.) singled to center. The hit was deep enough to score Carolyn Lynch (Ipswich, Mass.). Kevi Oatway (East Hartford, Conn.) and Rachel Byrd (Hampstead, N.H.) chipped in RBI hits of their own to cap the five run frame to give the Colonels a 5-4 advantage.
The Nighthawks knotted the game at five in the third after Babcock singled to left field, which scored Arianna Gooden (Bakersfield, Calif.).
This back and forth contest tilted back in favor of Curry in the fourth. Lambert came up to the plate and knocked a single to center. The shot was deep enough to score Mikayla Korona (Bellingham, Mass.).
Newbury had the answer in the sixth, started by a two-RBI single by Noelle Sass (Randolph, Mass.). They would get another across when Alexis Viera (Pawtucket, R.I.) would reach on an error by the Colonels' first baseman, which allowed Sass to score to put the Nighthawks up, 8-6.
Curry came back in their half of the sixth with one run off a single by Colleran to pull within one at 8-7.
The Colonels would have the final say in the contest in the bottom of the seventh. Lambert stepped to the plate with two on and hit a double to center. The hit was deep enough to score Korona and Marissa Bruno (Milford, Conn.) for the game-tying and game-winning runs.
Korona and Lambert paced the Colonels with three hits apiece. Colleran and Saluti finished with two apiece while five others recorded single hits for the home team. Korona scored a game-high three runs and Lambert pitched in a game best four runs batted in.
Babcock and Kia led the Nighthawks with three hits each. Three other Newbury student-athletes had two hits each while four others recorded one hit apiece to close the column.
McKenna Barlow (Middletown, R.I.) registered the win for Curry. She went four innings, giving up three runs on eight hits. The senior struck out two and walked none in the victory. Alina Milauskas (Elkridge, Md.) was credited the loss. She tossed six and two thirds innings, surrendering nine runs on 15 hits. The sophomore struck out one and walked one in the defeat.
GAME TWO
The Nighthawks got on the scoreboard first in the nightcap, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Viera to score Milauskas to grab a 1-0 lead.
Curry responded in the bottom of the third with four runs. Lambert knocked a double to center field, which drove in Korona and Bruno. Byrd then stepped to the dish and hit a two-run bomb to left which gave the Colonels a 4-1 lead.
Newbury began to chip away at the deficit, scoring four runs over the next three innings to take a 5-4 lead.
Curry answered with two of their own in the bottom of the sixth on double by Bruno to center field that sent Madeline Critch (Halifax, Mass.) and Colleran home to make it a 6-5 game.
The Nighthawks tallied two runs in the top of the seventh but an RBI single by Byrd tied up the contest for the Colonels. Colleran stepped to the plate and hit a single to right which scored Oatway to give Curry their second walk off victory of the day, 8-7.
Lambert led the way in the nightcap with three hits. Byrd and Colleran chipped in two each while four others had hits for the home squad.
Viera paced Newbury with two hits. Every player in the Nighthawk lineup finished game two with at least one hit.
Jordan Lizotte (Rehoboth, Mass.) was credited with the victory in the circle. She tossed three innings of work, giving up three runs on six hits. The junior walked two in her second victory of the season.
Stefan picked up the loss, throwing six innings. She gave up eight runs on 11 hits while striking out four and walking three.
Curry will next play Saturday in a conference doubleheader at home against Roger Williams starting at 1:00 p.m. Newbury will play Wheelock College on Sunday in a conference doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.
