FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team hits the road this weekend for a Northeast Conference series against Central Connecticut State on Friday and Saturday, Apr. 7-8. Friday will feature a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at the CCSU Softball Field. 

SHU VS. CCSU GAME INFORMATION 
Game 1: Sacred Heart at CCSU – Friday, April 7; 1:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Game 2: Sacred Heart at CCSU – Friday, April 7; 3:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Game 3: Sacred Heart at CCSU – Saturday, April 8; 12:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers convincingly swept Stonehill this past weekend, scoring 10+ plus runs in all three games and owning a 32-4 scoring differential. SHU took the opener 10-0 on Saturday before winning both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday, 12-4 and 10-0. The pair of Carly Koltko and Alyssa Gonzalez led the way for the Pios offensively, as they combined for nine hits, eight runs, 13 RBI, and five home runs. In the circle, Emily Heath, Sam Kowalski, and Liv Vadas all picked up a win, with Vadas also tallying one save. 

WE'LL TAKE TWO
After their dominant sweep of the Skyhawks over the weekend, the Pioneers were awarded two NEC weekly awards, as Koltko was named Player of the Week and Heath Co-Rookie of the Week. Koltko finished last week with an outstanding .375/.474/1.000 slash line with five runs scored, seven RBI, and three home runs. The sophomore from Redondo Beach, Calif., hit a homer in every game of the series, highlighted by a grand slam in the opener on Sunday. Heath made two appearances last week, earning a win over Stonehill in the second game on Sunday. She went 1-1 on the week with a paltry ERA of 1.27 with four strikeouts. Tuesday's awards marked the second time this season that Sacred Heart earned two NEC honors in the same week. 

SCOUTING CCSU
The Blue Devils head into this weekend with a 13-10 overall record after dropping two of three to LIU on Sunday and Monday. CCSU took the middle game 5-2 and dropped the other two contests by 9-0 final scores in five innings. After the series against the Sharks, Central owns a 6-3 record in NEC play after sweeping Wagner and taking two of three from Merrimack. Senior Kaylee Whittaker has been on fire to start the season, as she has a team-best 2.68 ERA with a 12-5 record, one save, and 72 strikeouts. Whittaker has pitched 117.2 innings of the team's 156.1 total frames, which includes 18 appearances over 23 games. Paige Stringer leads the offense with a .388 batting average, a .522 slugging percentage, and 11 runs. Kim Howard has also done well with a team-leading 17 RBI and three home runs. 

UP NEXT
The Pios will return home for their next NEC series on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 15-16, to play the defending conference champions of Saint Francis. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Park.