CLERMONT, Fla. -Â Great pitching and a strong third and fourth innings boosted the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth softball team to a 5-3 victory over Westfield State Sunday morning in Leesburg, Fla.
The Corsairs (3-0) remain perfect after their first three games of the year, while the Owls start their season with an 0-1 record.
UMass Dartmouth trailed 3-0 in the early innings, but rallied for three runs in the third and two in the fourth to come away with a 5-3 comeback victory over the Owls.
Sophomore
Hailey Lyons drove in three runs with a pair of singles, while 5th-year senior
Leah Major went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Sophomore
Kaitlyn Shirshac earned her second win of the season, tossing the final four innings with two K's and one hit allowed. Pitching was solid throughout, as the Corsairs gave up just four hits.
Westfield went up 1-0 in the first after an RBI single, and extended its lead to 3-0 with an RBI double in the second.
The bottom of the third is when the Corsairs made their move. With two outs, Major singled and took second on a wild pitch, Lyons drove her in with a base knock, senior
Lindsay Chubbuck kept it rolling with a single to advance Lyons to third, and 5th-year senior
Jill Richards sent home Lyons to even the score at three.
The game-winning runs crossed the plate in the fourth. Major reached on a fielder's choice to move freshman
Larissa Piessens to third, Major then stole second to put two in scoring position. Both runs scored when Lyons singled to right field to cap off the scoring.
Shirshac then did her job in the circle and kept the Owls off the board.
UMass Dartmouth was scheduled to play Otterbein later on Sunday, but that game has been canceled. The Corsairs take on Wheaton Ill. at 9:15 a.m. and Haverford at 11:15 a.m. on Monday.
