AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Consistent offense over seven innings, coupled with solid pitching, helped lift the UMass Dartmouth softball team to an 8-5 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan University on Thursday afternoon. The Corsairs move to 5-3 on the season, while the Prairie Wolves are now 7-5.
The Corsairs opened the game in fine fashion as rookie third baseman
RaeLynn Perregaux drilled a homerun to put the visitors up 1-0. Nebraska Wesleyan battled back in the bottom half of the inning as a leadoff single set up a double by senior shortstop Emma Alfieri to drive in the tying run (1-1). With two outs on the board, rookie Jenna Kimberling singled, to bring in the go-ahead run for a 2-1 advantage.
After a scoreless second inning, the Corsairs tied things up in the top of the third as grad student and shortstop
Leah Major singled, later being brought home as classmate/right fielder
Jill Richards doubled for the 2-2 score. The Prairie Wolves answered in their half of the inning as junior center fielder Hanna Roth came in from third on a wild pitch, making it 3-2 in favor of NWU.
UMD once again found a rhythm in the top of the fourth as junior first baseman
Hailey Lyons led off with a single. Stealing second, Lyons advanced to third on a ground out and later scored as senior left fielder
Victoria Rossetti reached on an error to allow the run home. Rossetti would advance to second on a sacrifice hit to second, coming around to home as Major singled for the 4-3 lead.
That score held until the top of the sixth as the Corsairs broke open the game with a three-run frame. Junior hurler
Kaitlyn Shirshac singled with one out on the board as UMD opted to bring in rookie
Emma Talpey to pinch run. Rossetti singled, followed by a Perregux single to drive in Talpey for a 5-3 score. A sacrifice fly by Major brought home another run and a single from sophomore second baseman
Larissa Piessens pushed the lead to 7-3 for the Corsairs.
Nebraska Wesleyan got a run back in the bottom of the frame, but with two outs on the board in the top of the seventh, the Corsairs got three straight singles from Lyons, Shirshac and Rossetti as another runner came across for UMD's eighth run. An Alfieri single in the seventh closed the gap to three, but Shirshac shut the Prairie Wolve threat down for the victory.
Perregaux was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI for the Corsairs, while Major also went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Piessens finished 2-for-3 with an RBI as Rossetti went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Shirshac, whoe went 2-for-3 at the plate, pitched the full 7.0 innings for the Corsairs, earning the victory after allowing five runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.
NWU was led by Alfieri, who was 2-for-2 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Kimberling was 1-for-2 with two RBI, while Roth was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. In the circle, sophomore Kenna Ford shouldered the loss, allowing three runs (1 earned) on four hits over 4.0 innings of relief. Starter and rookie Isabella Harris allowed one run on two hits, facing two batters, while sophomore Rylee Pangborn came on for the final 3.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.
UMD returns to action for their final two games in Florida, beginning at 9am against Penn State Behrend. The Corsairs conclude the trip against Aurora University at 11:30am.
