DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by an 9-run burst in the fourth inning of game two, the UMass Dartmouth softball team split their doubleheader with Eastern Connecticut, falling 1-0 in game one before taking a 14-11 victory in game two. The game two win marks UMD's first regular-season victory over Eastern Connecticut since 2019. The Corsairs move to 11-7 overall with a 1-1 start to their LEC schedule, while the Warriors move to 9-6-1 overall and are also 1-1 in conference play.
In a low-scoring game one, the pitchers on either side shined. ECSU grad student hurler Alyssa Vilchez threw the complete game, shutting out the Corsairs while allowing just four hits and striking out three. UMass Dartmouth's senior pitcher
Kaitlyn Shirshac also went the full 7.0 innings, allowing one run on six hits with three strikeouts.
The lone run of the game came in the first innings, when ECSU sophomore shortstop Emma Marelli got things started with a leadoff double. The game-winning run was knocked in just two at bats later when Vilchez hit a double of her own. Eastern Connecticut went on to take game one by a score of 1-0.
Game two saw a completely different game, this one very high-scoring with the two teams combining for 25 total runs. The Warriors struck first again in this one and led 7-4 going into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Corsairs bats got hot right away in the fourth, beginning with a leadoff single from junior shortstop
Larissa Piessens. Junior outfielder
Kinu Takasugi followed her up with a bunt-single, before senior catcher
Dyonna Rodas knocked in the first of many runs with a double to left center. A sac-bunt from sophomore second baseman
Emma Talpey scored another run and senior first baseman
Hailey Lyons singled to keep things going with just one out.
With one out and runners on first and third, sophomore third baseman
RaeLynn Perregaux hit a single to right field, scoring Rodas and putting runners on second and third. The Eastern pitcher then struck a batter with a pitch, loading up the bases with still just one out. Freshman left fielder
Liv Matos had a career-day, knocking in her second RBI of the game with a single up the middle. Freshman DP
Hailey Soares kept the rally going with a single that brought in two more runs, giving UMD a 10-7 lead. The Corsairs kept pouring it on, with Takasugi knocking in a run and then Rodas bringing in two more on a single through the left side of the infield. Eastern Connecticut finally escaped the inning after allowing nine runs and a 13-7 advantage for UMass Dartmouth.
Shirshac came in to relieve senior pitcher
Rahne Turley in the fifth inning. Turley exited the game with a comfortable lead after allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits. The Warriors scored one run in the top of the fifth, but Matos answered with her first career homerun in the bottom half of the inning. ECSU kept things interesting with a three-run homer off the bat of junior second baseman Maddi Suave, but it was not enough as Shirshac and the Corsairs were able to close things out with a 14-11 victory.
In addition to their first regular-season win over Eastern since 2019, the 14 run total marks the most runs the Corsairs have ever put up against the Warriors in the programs' history. UMD saw eight different players record hits, and seven of them had multiple hits in game two. They were led by Matos, who had a sensational game going 3-for-4 with three RBI's, two runs scored and her first career homer. Rodas was 2-for-4 with three RBI's and two runs. Perregaux and Soares had identical lines, going 2-for-4 with two RBI's and a run scored, each. Takasugi went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored three times.
The Corsairs return to action next Saturday, in another conference doubleheader against VTSU Castleton. Game one has a scheduled first pitch for 12:00pm in Castleton, Vt.
