WESTON, Mass. – Regis College sophomore Kirbie Garvey (Littleton, Mass.) delivered the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to help lead the Pride to a 6-5 win over Gordon College in game two of a non-league softball doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon in Weston, Mass.
The Fighting Scots (10-20) picked up a 16-7 win in five innings over Regis (8-17) in game one.
In the nightcap, the game started out as a pitcher's duel as the Pride's Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, Mass.) and Gordon's Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.) traded zeroes through the first three-plus innings of play. Regis finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth as the Pride took advantage of three Gordon errors to take a 1-0 lead when Rachel Tortora (Malden, Mass.) came across the plate on a Scots misstep. Regis added one more in the fifth as Jenna Casello (Westborough, Mass.) and Kelsey Morton (South Portland, Maine) led off the inning with singles and Morton would come around to score on a Garvey RBI knock to right to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
Cuozzo continued to keep the Gordon hitters in check until the seventh inning when Kara Pepper (Wyckoff, N.J.) led off the frame with a single to center, but moved to second when the throw back into the infield got away. Stephanie Zaloom (Albany, N.Y.) followed with an RBI triple to the gap in right center to cut the deficit in half at 2-1. After Cuozzo got a lineout, Alyssa Unumb (Bedford, Mass.) hit a groundball to second, but instead of coming home, the throw went to first and allowed Zaloom to score and tied the game at 2-2.
The Pride would get the go-ahead run to third in the bottom of the seventh, but Skylar Bareford worked out of the jam and stranded the runner there, forcing the game into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth with Emily Burkhart (Manheim, Pa.) placed on second, Regis' Cuozzo got two quick outs on a popup and a groundout that moved Burkhart to third. Kendall Bukuras (North Falmouth, Mass.) stepped to the plate for Gordon and ripped a two-out single to right-center that gave the Scots a 3-2 lead as Burkhart scored. Skylar Bareford followed with a single to short that put runners on the corners, and Kara Pepper hit a triple over the rightfielder's head that scored two more runs and gave Gordon a 5-2 lead headed into the bottom of the eighth.
After Allison Caloggero (Medford, Mass.) was placed on second for the Pride, Rachel Tortora hit a single to center to put runners on the corners with no outs. Rachel DesRochers (Westford, Mass.) drove in Caloggero with a run scoring double that left Tortora and DesRochers in scoring position still with nobody out. Michaela NeJaime (Sandisfield, Mass.) drove in Tortora with an RBI groundout, and Alexis Charest (Chatham, Mass.) plated DesRochers with a sac fly that tied the game at 5-5. Casello would single to extend the inning and later stole second, but the Pride could not drive her in as the game went to the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth, Gordon pushed Zaloom to third with a groundout, but that would be as far as she would get as Cuozzo retired the side in order to set up Garvey's late inning heroics.
Kelsey Morton was placed on second to begin the bottom of the ninth, and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Cuozzo. Kirbie Garvey then stepped to the plate and ripped a single that dropped in centerfield, scoring Morton and giving the Pride a 6-5 walk-off victory.
Garvey ended the game going 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI, while Casello, Morton, and Rachel Tortora each had two-hit days. Katie Cuozzo picked up her sixth win of the season, throwing a complete game and allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts.
Kara Pepper led the Scots offensively, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored. Bukuras and Stephanie Zaloom both went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Skylar Bareford suffered the defeat, allowing six runs (three earned) on 12 hits with five strikeouts.
Game one was all Gordon as they jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles from Zaloom and Gabriel Roberts (Chocorua, N.H.) as well as scoring two runs on a pair of Regis miscues. Rachel Tortora made it a 4-1 game in the bottom of the second with an RBI single that scored Garvey.
The Fighting Scots pushed across eight runs in the third inning as they opened with six-straight hits, including RBI singles from Roberts and Kiersten Bieren (Groton, Mass.). Kendall Bukuras (Groton, Mass.) stroked a two-run double to left center that scored Katie Dariano (Albany, N.Y.) and Emily Burkhart (Manheim, Pa.), followed by a Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.) double that plated Bukuras and made it an 11-1 game. Zaloom rounded out the inning with an RBI single to score Bareford and gave the Fighting Scots a 12-1 advantage.
Regis got one back in their half of the third as DesRochers scored on a groundout by Kelsey Morton. Burkhart homered in the fourth inning for Gordon to keep it an 11 run game, but the Pride took advantage of several Gordon mistakes in the bottom of the fourth, plating a run on a wild pitch and scoring two more on a throwing error, to make it a 13-5 game.
The Fighting Scots added three insurance runs in their half of the fifth on a two-run double by Stephanie Zaloom and an RBI single from Roberts. The Pride's Alyson Caloggero hit a homerun in the bottom of the fifth that scored Garvey to make it a 16-7 final.
Garvey went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, with Caloggero going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and two RBI. DesRochers went 3-for-3 in the opening game. Sam Bliss (Framingham, Mass.) suffered the setback, tossing 3.1 innings and giving up 11 runs (nine earned) on 13 hits. Marissa Magarian (Goffstown, N.H.) pitched the other 1.2 innings, allowing five runs and six hits.
Stephanie Zaloom led the Fighting Scots, going 4-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs scored. Kendall Burukas, Kara Pepper, and Gabriel Roberts each had three hit days, combining for six runs and five RBI. Skylar Bareford picked up the win, going three innings and allowing two runs on two hits. Alyssa Unumb went the final two innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on five hits.
Regis returns to action on Wednesday afternoon when they travel to Eastern Nazarene College for a non-league doubleheader scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Gordon will host Thomas on Wednesday as well, in a twinbill starting at 3:30 p.m.