CLERMONT, Fla. – Powered by an 11-run outburst in the early innings, the UMass Dartmouth softball team defeated Rutgers-Newark by a 13-4 margin in five innings on Wednesday in the first game of the day at THE Spring Games. The Corsairs improve to 3-4 overall, while the Scarlet Raiders slip to 0-5 on the season.
UMass Dartmouth got things going quickly in the first inning, as sophomore second baseman
Emma Talpey reached on a fielder's choice that saw junior outfielder
Kinu Takasugi score. The Corsairs opened things up in the second inning as with runners on, junior outfielder
Jill Walsh scored on a wild pitch. Junior shortstop
Larissa Piessens, who advanced to third on the previous play, went on to steal home for a 3-0 lead.
The Corsairs hot baserunning continued as Takasugi stole home on the next play, while sophomore third baseman
RaeLynn Perregaux cracked a two-run triple to right center to push the squad to a 6-0 advantage. A single through the left side by senior first baseman
Hailey Lyons scored Perregaux on the next play as UMass Dartmouth took a 7-0 lead after two.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Scarlet Raiders made their way onto the scoreboard as senior shortstop Alexis Clairborne singled to center with bases loaded, driving in a run. Runners advanced on the next play, courtesy of a wild pitch as junior infielder Marissa Houseknecht came in on the play to make it 7-2. Rutgers-Newark made it a 7-3 score as senior outfielder Alex Di Martino singled to center to bring in another run.
In the third, the Corsairs got to work on offense once again, bringing five runs across to take the strong lead. Takasugi continued her outstanding game with a single through the right side, scoring Walsh from third. A double down the left field line from senior catcher
Dyonna Rodas drove home two runs, while an RBI single from Perregaux pushed the advantage to 11-3.
Junior infielder
Madi Razzino completed the inning, scoring a run on a hard hit grounder to first for the 12-3 margin after three. Rutgers-Newark added another run in the bottom of the frame, but Takasugi doubled to left in the top of the fourth, bringing home the final run to complete the game's scoring.
For the Corsairs, Takasugi finished 3-for-3 at the plate, driving in two RBI and two runs scored. Perregaux was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and three RBI, while Walsh was also 3-for-3 with three runs scored. In the circle, junior
Rahne Turley earned the victory, allowing four runs (2 earned) on five hits over 5.0 innings of work. She struck out four batters and walked just two.
For the Scarlet Raiders, Houseknecht was 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Claiborne was 1-for-1 with an RBI. Sophomore Kayla Cardozo shouldered the loss in the circle, allowing seven runs (6 earned) on three hits over 1.2 innings. She had three walks and a strikeout. Junior Madison Umlauf came on for 2.1 innings of relief, allowing six runs (5 earned) on seven hits with a walk and a K, while senior hurler Madison DiGiorgio pitched 1.0 innings, allowing two hits.
The Corsairs are right back in action at 12:25pm, taking on Kean University at Hancock Field 4 today.
