BOSTON, Mass. – The Curry College softball team dropped game one of a Wednesday double-header at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, but rallied late in game two to pick up their second Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) victory. With the split, the Colonels land at 12-21 overall with a 2-12 record in conference play. Wentworth moves to 10-17 on the year with a 4-10 CCC tally.
Game One: Wentworth 9, Curry 2
Curry struck first in the early action, as an RBI single by Kiana Lloyd (Worcester, Mass.) in the top of the second made the score 1-0. The slight edge would stand to be the Colonels' only lead of the contest, however, as the Leopards pushed across two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame, aided by a pair of errors by the Curry infield. The Colonels got one back in the third to tie the game at two, as Caroline Johnson (Milton, Mass.) picked up her second hit of the day, pushing Jocelyn Dimond (Weare, N.H.) across the plate. As Wentworth returned to the plate in the third, a pop up with two outs found its way to the turf, allowing Brionna Myers (Seabrook, N.H.) to cross the plate with an unearned run, giving the lead back to the hosts at 3-2. Following a scoreless fourth frame, the Wentworth bats came alive and quickly broke the game open. Ceilidh Higgins (Medway, Mass.) opened the inning by reaching second base on an E6, before moving to third on a groundout. Following another grounder to get the second out of the inning, Curry allowed four unearned runs thanks to three hits and two more errors, handing the Leopards a 7-2 lead through five. Curry threatened with a pair of base runners in the top of the sixth, but Wentworth continued to build on their lead as two more runners touched home, capped by a single into center off the bat of Sabrina Haarstick (Milford, Mass.), before Curry starter Taylor Newcomb (Millville, Mass.) found her way out of a bases-loaded jam to prevent more damage. In the top of the seventh, the Colonels managed to put two runners on base, but the comeback effort was extinguished by a game-ending double play to close out the 9-2 Leopard victory.
Johnson, who reached base three times on a pair of singles and a walk, headed the Curry offense. Myers was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a trio of runs scored, while Kayla DeMedeiros (South Dartmouth, Mass.) and Haarstick each turned in 2-for-4 efforts. DeMedeiros moves to 5-8 on the year with the win, giving up just two runs over a full seven innings. Newcomb also surrendered just two earned runs, but was bitten by the errors, as nine total runs were charged to her name. Despite her eighth complete game of the season, the sophomore sinks to 3-7 with the game one loss.
Game Two: Curry 6, Wentworth 5
As game two got underway, Curry wasted no time drawing first blood, as four singles and a pair of walks brought three runners around to score, as the visitors sent nine batters to the plate. Game two starter Carrigan Costello (Wolcott, Conn.) shut down the Leopards in the first, but gave up a one-out RBI double to Beverly in the bottom of the second as Wentworth cut into the lead with their first run. After Aurora Wilks (Fruitport, Mich.) recorded a shutdown inning of her own in the top of the third, the hosts once again capitalized on Curry miscues. The Leopards knotted the score as DeMedeiro stayed hot and drove in a pair of runs on a single, but another error gave Wentworth an extra out, allowing them to take the lead as DeMedeiro scored on a ground out that should have ended the inning. After Curry went 1-2-3 in both the fourth and the fifth innings, the hosts padded their lead at 5-3 with another run with two frames to play. However, it was Curry's turn to rally in the top of the sixth, as back-to-back doubles by Alexandra Chase (Biddeford, Maine) and Alexis Buckner (Foxborough, Mass.) made it 5-4. Following a grounder which recorded the first out of the inning, Wilks started to lose her accuracy, as a walk and a wild pitch brought the tying run across the plate, making it 5-5. Curry's rally was not over, though, as Liana Duarte (Taunton, Mass.) beat out a throw from the shortstop, allowing Sienna Kulpa (Taunton, Mass.) to score easily, giving the Colonels a 6-5 edge. Despite Curry failing to manage a baserunner in the top of the seventh, Costello stayed stout on the mound, allowing no hits and just one walk over her final two innings of work, capping a Colonel triumph by a final score of 6-5.
Duarte was the only Colonel to post a multi-hit game in the second contest, while Costello (7-9) picks up the win with eight strikeouts over seven innings. Wilks (2-6) is saddled with the loss, giving up six over five and two-thirds, while Alexandra Pina (Cumberland, R.I.) led the Leopard offense with two runs scored in a 2-for-3 game.
Curry will enjoy an off day tomorrow before travelling to Endicott to close out their CCC schedule. Game one of the double-header is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 19. The Leopards get a full week of downtime before returning to the field on Thursday, April 25 for a non-conference double-header at Mass. Maritime. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. in Bourne, Mass.
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