Endicott takes two from UNE to run win-streak to four games

BEVERLY, Mass. – After a 10-game losing streak to start the season, the Endicott softball team has won four in-a-row including two more on Sunday afternoon against Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rival University of New England (UNE) with 8-0 (6 inn.) and 10-8 wins at the Gulls Softball Complex. 

Endicott (4-10, 4-0 CCC) continues their league schedule on Tuesday, April 9^th against North Shore Cup opponent Gordon for two games starting at 3:00 pm in Beverly.  UNE (11-9, 5-5 CCC) looks ahead to a non-conference doubleheader match up with Southern Maine on Tuesday at 3:00 pm.

Game One: Endicott 8, UNE 0 (6 inn.)

Freshman third baseman Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) crushed a three-run homerun to center in the bottom of the third and Gulls junior pitcher Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) hurled a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits to the Nor'easters, as Endicott won 8-0 (6 inn.) in game one.

DiBella's blast over the centerfield wall in the third inning broke the game open as Endicott took a 6-0 lead.  Three innings later, Endicott loaded the bases, scored their first run of the inning on a passed ball and then the eventual walk-off run on an infield error. 

DiBella's three hits were bested only by senior catcher Krista Fales' (Melrose, Mass.) 4-for-4 day at the plate.  Senior Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) and junior Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) added two hits apiece in the game with Russo knocking in two runs on a fielder choice in the first and a RBI single up the middle in the third.

O'Connor final line read six innings pitched, no runs, three hits allowed, and five strikeouts as the junior improved to 2-2 on the year.

Game Two: Endicott 10, UNE 8

Game two was much more of a back-and-forth battle between the two squads as Endicott and UNE exchanged the lead four times.  A four-run bottom of the fourth for the Gulls saw senior right fielder Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.) rope a two-RBI single down the left field line followed by a two-RBI hit to right for junior shortstop Kelley Michael (Ipswich, Mass.) to put Endicott ahead 9-6.

Michael's hit proved the be the game-winner as Endicott freshman Alexis Page (Agawam, Mass.) blasted a solo shot to right center to make the score 10-6, but UNE would tack on two runs in the final inning on a sophomore Adrienne Chase's (Holden, Mass.) second long ball of the game.  O'Connor came on in relief to get the final three outs, including a punch out, to get her first save of the season. 

Chase gave the Nor'easters a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as her shot to center cleared the wall and scored first year outfielder Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.) who had reached on a single.

The Gulls responded in the bottom of the second as Michael knocked her first homerun of the season, a two-run shot to center that scored Russo.  Michael finished the game 4-for-4 with four RBI.  DiBella made it back-to-back homeruns with her second of the day, a solo job deep to left center.  Endicott finished the inning by putting a total of five runs on the board after Bilafer found the gap in right center for a triple to score freshman Jamie Corda (Higganum, Conn.)  Fales come up next and hit a comebacker to the pitcher that allowed Bilafer to reach home.

The UNE top of the fourth inning saw Vallante double home two runners and junior Amanda Vaudreuil (Windham, N.H.) bring home two more on a double to left to put the Nor'easters back on top 6-5.  It would be their final lead of the game as Endicott came back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs of their own to take the outright lead. 

Endicott sophomore hurler Meg Donegan (Atkinson, N.H.) earned the victory, her first of the season, after coming on in relief of Cameron Sprague (Clifton Park, N.Y.).  UNE's Lauren Doneski (Waltham, Mass.) took the loss but Nor'easters first year pitcher Abby Lambert (Brockton, Mass.) pitched well in relief, going 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on two hits and no walks.