DANBURY, Conn. – Sophomore
Kaitlyn Shirshac was lights out on Saturday, leading the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth softball team to a doubleheader sweep at WestConn, 5-0 and 4-0.
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Shirshac pitched both games for the Corsairs (30-8-1, 13-3 LEC), earning her first-career no-hitter in game two. UMass Dartmouth has now won 10-consecutive games and will be the third seed in the upcoming Little East Conference Tournament. The Wolves (15-25, 2-14 LEC) finish their season.
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GAME ONE
Shirshac struck out six over seven innings with one walk and limited WestConn to five hits for a complete-game shutout.
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Freshmen
Larissa Piessens and
Kinu Takasugi each finished with two hits for the Corsairs. Piessens, 5th-year senior
Leah Major, and junior
Lynsie Miracle all had one RBI.
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After Piessens led the game off with a double and eventually advanced to third, senior Lyndsay Chubbuck brought her home with an RBI groundout, to make it a 1-0 game..
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Shirshac faced the minimum in the first, second, and fifth innings as the score remained 1-0 until the top of the seventh.
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Sophomore
Dyonna Rodas started the seventh with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third. Miracle brought home Rodas with a base hit, Piessens then singled in Takasugi, who got on with a bunt single, and Major singled in Miracle with Piessens scoring on an error on the same play to make it 5-0.
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Shirshac forced a trio of groundouts to finish off game one.
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GAME TWO
Shirshac was dominant as she struck out 13 batters en route to her first-career no-hitter. Her two-out walk in the first inning was the only thing separating her from a perfect game.
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Shirshac struck out the side in the first, had one K in the second, one in the third, struck out the side in order in the fourth, K'd two more in the sixth, and struck out the side again in the seventh.
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Senior
Kate Condon finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, while Rodas was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
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After sophomore
Hailey Lyons started the second with a walk and took second on Rodas' base hit, Condon singled her in for the first run of the game. Miracle then sent home Rodas with an RBI groundout to make it a 2-0 lead.
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A bases loaded walk from Major in the fourth extended the advantage to 3-0. The final run of the day came on an RBI double from Condon to bring home junior
Victoria Rossetti in the fifth.
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Shirshac sat the Wolves down to complete the no-hitter.
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UP NEXT
UMass Dartmouth is the No. 3 seed in the LEC Tournament and will face Plymouth State in the first game on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at top-seeded Eastern Connecticut.