KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The UMass Dartmouth softball team split results on the second day of THE Spring Games to improve to a 3-1 overall record on the season. The Corsairs suffered their first loss of the year against Western New England College, 7-1, in the opening game before ending the day with a 5-1 win over Saint Mary's College.
The Corsairs took a quick 1-0 edge in the first game versus the Golden Bears after senior
Larissa Piessens grounded out to the short stop to tag senior
Kinu Takasugi home. Western New England answered in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs off two hits to claim a 4-1 lead. After a quiet couple of innings, the Golden Bears tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two RBI single from Alex Ferriouol to make it a 6-1 game. Western New England secured their victory after posting their seventh run in the bottom of the sixth to improve to a 2-1 record on the season.
Piessens recorded the lone RBI for UMass Dartmouth along with one stolen base. Takasugi produced the only hit of the game after going 1-for-3 at the plate with one run and a stolen base. First year pitcher
Edy Crawford picked up the loss after throwing four innings and allowing two earned runs and three hits after 83 total pitches. First year pitcher
Riley Giard made her collegiate debut after checking into the game for the last two innings. She recorded her first career strikeout while giving up just one hit off 32 total pitches.
In game two, the Corsairs took an early 2-0 lead against Saint Mary's in the bottom of the first. Junior
Sydney Menz reached first base on an error which allowed Takasugi to score for the first run of the game. Junior Raelynn Perregaux then laced the ball to right center field for an RBI triple to bring Menz home. Both team's bats went quiet for the next three innings before UMass Dartmouth added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Sophomore
Olivia Ali notched an RBI after reaching on a fielding error by the short stop to score Piessens. Sophomore
Olivia Silva checked into the game as a pinch hitter and picked up her first RBI of the day to double the Corsairs advantage to 4-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Piessens tacked on the fifth run of the game for UMass Dartmouth with an RBI single up the middle of the field to tag Takasugi home. Despite a late score from Saint Mary's in the final inning, the Corsairs sealed their third victory of the season by a final score of 5-1.
Sophomore pitcher
Lily Routhier secured her second win on the mound for UMass Dartmouth after throwing a complete game. She punched put three batters while allowing seven hits and just one earned run.
Five different Corsairs recorded an RBI in the win including Piessens and Perreguax who each went 2-for-3 at the plate with one run apiece. Perreguax tallied the only triple of the game along with on stolen base. Takasugi ended the game going 1-for-3 at-bat with a team-high two runs and one stolen base. Ali also recorded one hit on three at-bats for the Corsairs to go along with one RBI and a stolen base. Menz and Silva each earned one RBI apiece in the victory.
UMass Dartmouth is back on the diamond for their third day of double-header action on Monday, Mar. 10. The Corsairs take on Saint Joseph's College of Maine for the first game of the day starting at 2:00 p.m. before facing North Central College at 4:30 p.m. from Hancock Park.
