Softball Splits with Salem State in Home Opener

Softball Splits with Salem State in Home Opener

MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College softball team split a pair of games against the Salem State Vikings on Monday afternoon at the D. Forbes Will field in their home opener. The Vikings took game one and head back home with a record of 7-5. The Colonels followed up a disappointing early loss with a dominant game two and now sit at 8-6 on the year.

Game One: Salem St. 12, Curry 9

The Vikings struck first in the opening match up, breaking open a 0-0 tie with a four-run top of the third. A two out walk to Gabryanna Cardenas (Oxford, Mass.) loaded the bases for Salem St. before three straight RBI singles by Dominique Del Vecchio (Stoneham, Mass.), Kasey Nolan (Braintree, Mass.), and Gracie Hogan (Northbridge, Mass.) got the scoring started. Nolan got caught going from second to third to end the inning on Hogan's knock, but the Vikings headed to the bottom of the inning with a 4-0 edge. The Colonels would cut into the lead in the fourth with back-to-back sac flies by Taylor Newcomb (Millville, Mass.) and Molly Horn (Buzzards Bay, Mass.), but the visitors got both runs back in the top of the fifth, as Del Vecchio singled home another two runs to make the score 6-2.  In the bottom of the inning, however, the Curry bats found their spark.

Without the benefit of a hit, the Colonels started the inning with a pair of base runners thanks to a hit by pitch and a walk. Both runners would come around to score to make the score 6-4 as Michaela Colleran (East Bridgewater, Mass.) ripped a double off the wall in left. With just one out in the inning, Viking errors on consecutive plays allowed the Colonels to load the bases. The runners would not have to wait long to keep moving, though, as a double by Alexis Buckner (Foxborough, Mass.) tied the score at six. Looking to stop the bleeding, Salem State did themselves no favors, giving up another walk before a wild pitch gave Curry their first lead of the contest. With a runner in scoring position and pinch hitter Alexandra Chase (Biddeford, Maine) at the plate, the Colonels kept on rolling as the sophomore knocked her first collegiate home run over the center field wall. With the momentum squarely in their favor, along with a 9-6 lead, Curry got back on the field looking for a shutdown inning. The Vikings had plans of their own though, as four singles coupled with a walk and a hit by pitch drove in three runs early in the inning while the Colonels had just a single out to show for it. A fielder's choice made the score 10-9 in favor of Salem State while recording the second out of the frame, but an error on the infield extended the inning for the Vikings with the bases full. Sydney Chiasson (Hudson, Mass.) was sure not to let the opportunity go to waste, driving a single into center and scoring a pair of runs to pad the lead at 12-9. With six outs to work with, the Colonels were taken out quickly, mustering just one hit before back-to-back strikeouts closed the game.

Del Vecchio took charge at the plate, going 4-for-4 while driving in four for the visitors. Nolan also turned in a multi-hit da, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Mikayla Porcaro (Amesbury, Mass.) crossed the plate three times in the first game, while Hogan grabbed three RBI of her own. Colleran (2-for-3) and Buckner (3-for-4) were the only Colonels to nab multiple hits, each registering two RBI in the process. Chase knocked in a pair on her dinger, while nine different players scored the nine runs scored by Curry in the match up. Carrigan Costello (Wolcott, Conn.) started the day for the Colonels, giving up six over six, but the decision goes to Allison May (West Bridgewater, Mass.) who surrendered six over her lone inning of work, though just three Vikings crossed the plate as earned runs. Brooke Westmoreland (Saugus, Mass.) picks up the victory and improves to 3-3 on the year after giving up nine (three earned) in a complete game that saw five strikeouts.

 

Game Two: Curry 10, Salem St. 4


Curry came into game two looking to salvage half of their home opener, but a bullet of a homer by Chloe Manousos (Lowell, Mass) to lead off the game rocked the hosts and gave Salem State a quick 1-0 advantage. Curry got the run back in the bottom of the inning thanks to an errant throw across the diamond, but the Vikings got back on top in the third, pushing another run across the plate on a Porcaro RBI single to grab a 2-1 score. The Vikings had the lead, but the Colonels had the heart, as the bottom of the third saw a two out rally which scored three runs, highlighted by a dinger to straight away center off the bat of Jordan Perzan (Burlington, Conn.), which made the score 4-2. Despite the visitors clawing back to tie the score in the fifth, Curry kept the train rolling by scoring three runs in the bottom half of the inning, capped again by a Perzan homer, the sophomore's second big fly of the game. With a 7-4 lead, Newcomb returned to the mound and locked out the visitors' comeback efforts. Benefitting from three more insurance runs in the sixth, Newcomb wrapped up her second complete game of the season, despite giving up three seventh inning bases on balls.

In the win, Liana Duarte (Taunton, Mass.) posted a 2-for-4 day at the plate with a pair of runs scored, but it was Perzan who stole the show, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored on her pair of four-baggers. Hogan is turned away with the loss, moving her record to 1-1 on the year. The freshman gave up just three hits over three innings, but got tagged for four runs, which all came across unearned. Newcomb keeps her mark perfect on the mound, improving to 3-0, giving up just 4 runs (three earned) over seven innings while striking out two.

After the defeat, Salem State returns home and will welcome in the Plymouth State Panthers. The teams will square off in a double-header this Wednesday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. The Colonels will get back on the diamond Thursday, March 28 as they play host against the Rams of Suffolk University. The first of two games is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.

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