WESTON, Mass. – Regis College and Newbury College split a New England Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader on Wednesday night in Weston, Mass. The Pride (6-9, 5-3 NECC) won the opener 3-2, before the Nighthawks (9-9, 4-4 NECC) grabbed a 10-2 win in six innings in the night cap.
Regis returns to action on Saturday afternoon when the Pride travels to Bay Path College for another NECC doubleheader scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. Newbury will travel to Lesley University tomorrow afternoon for a conference twinbill starting at 3:30 p.m.
Regis College 3, Newbury College 2 (Game One)
Newbury struck first in the opener as the Nighthawks pushed across a run in the top of the second when Olivia Kenyon (Canton, Mass.) opened the inning with a walk and Naomi Ricciotti (Phoenix, Ariz.) followed with a single up the middle. After two quick outs, Kaitlin McLaughlin (Dorchester, Mass.) hit a groundball to the Regis shortstop, but her throw was off-line and reached the fence, allowing Kenyon to score from second and put Newbury on top, 1-0.
Regis responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the second as Allison Caloggero (Medford, Mass.) tripled over the right fielder's head and later came in to score on an Alexa NeJaime (Sandisfield, Mass.) RBI single to center. The Pride plated two more in the bottom of the third with a two out rally that began with back-to-back singles from Caloggero and Alyssa McKinnon (Raynham, Mass.). With runners on first and second, Kirbie Garvey (Littleton, Mass.) stepped the plate and stroked a two-run double to the gap in right center, to put Regis on top 3-1.
Newbury cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fourth as Julia Flamenco (Copiague, N.Y.) had an RBI groundout that scored Kenyon.
Regis pitcher Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, Mass.) kept the Nighthawks off the board with a perfect fifth inning, but ran into some trouble in the sixth when Kenyon drew a walk and Ricciotti followed with a single through the right side with only one out. Cuozzo quieted the threat, forcing a flyout to center before making a great catch on a line drive back to her to end the inning. The junior would pitch a perfect seventh to help give Regis the 3-2 win.
Caloggero ended the game 3-for-3, coming a homerun shy of the cycle, with a pair of runs scored. Seven other Pride players added hits in the game. Cuozzo picked up her fourth win of the year, scattering three hits and allowing only two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts in the complete game effort.
Newbury's Naomi Ricciotti had all three hits for the Nighthawks in the opener, while Kenyon scored both runs. Kenyon suffered the setback, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits in six innings pitched.
Newbury College 10, Regis College 2 (Game Two – 6 Innings)
The Nighthawks wasted little time taking an early advantage as they scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Ricciotti continued to sizzle at the dish with an RBI double that plated Sheri Liggiero (Tewksbury, Mass.), and later scoring on an Emily Humphries (Westborough, Mass.) single to left to put Newbury on top 2-0.
Newbury added two more in the top of the third as Humphries came through with a two-run double that plated Liggiero and Kenyon to go on top 4-0. The Nighthawks took a 6-0 lead in the game when Julia Flamenco drove in a pair of runs with a single through the right side in the top half of the fifth.
The Regis bats were held silent until the bottom of the fifth as Michaela NeJaime (Sandisfield, Mass.) led off the inning with a single through the right side. Jessica Perez's (Lynn, Mass.) sacrifice bunt attempt ended up as a single as the ball stayed fair and allowed NeJaime to move to third. During the next at bat, Perez broke for second, and the Newbury catcher's throw sailed into centerfield, allowing NeJaime to score easily and cut the deficit to 6-1.
The Nighthawks took advantage of a pair of Pride errors in their half of the six to plate four runs and take a 10-1 lead. Lindsey Clark (Venice, Fla.) and Flamenco each had RBI singles, with Humphries driving in two more during the top of the sixth. Regis got one back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Kirbie Garvey, but that would be all they would get as Newbury's Kenyon held on for the 10-2 victory.
Seven different Regis players registered a hit in game two, with Garvey driving in the lone RBI and Alyssa McKinnon and Michaela NeJaime scoring the runs. Victoria Allman (Newburyport, Mass.) suffered the setback, allowing two runs on four hits in one inning of work. Katie Cuozzo pitched four innings and allowed eight runs (four earned), with Marissa Magarian (Goffstown, N.H.) also tossing an inning and only allowing a pair of hits.
Naomi Ricciotti, Lindsey Clark, Emily Humphries, and Julia Flamenco combined to go 10-for-16 in the second game, driving in 10 runs and scoring five. Olivia Kenyon went 1-for-3 with three runs scored and rebounded for the win in game two, scattering seven hits and allowing two unearned runs in six innings of work.