FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team completed the weekend sweep of Northeast Conference (NEC) foe Stonehill on Saturday with a convincing 9-3 win at Pioneer Park.
With the victory, head coach
Pam London reached 350 wins in her illustrious career at the helm of the Pioneers. SHU also improved to 7-1 in conference play, which ranks second in the league.
Team Records:
Sacred Heart (13-17, 7-1 NEC)
Stonehill (6-19, 1-8 NEC)
SHU 9, Stonehill 3
Pitchers:
Sam Kowalski (SHU) – (W, 7.0 innings pitched, 2 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, 7-8 record)
Skylar Brandemarte (STO) – (L, 5.0 innings pitched, 8 earned runs, 3-8 record)
Alex Sciaretto (STO) – (1.0 innings pitched, 1 earned run)
Top Performers:
Emily Carroll (SHU) – 3-4, 3 runs, 2 doubles
Charlene Davis (SHU) – 3-4, 2 RBIs, 1 double
Cierra Bender (SHU) – 2-4, 2 RBIs, 1 run, 1 double
Nicole Henke (SHU) – 2-3, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 double
Of Note:
After the Skyhawks took the early lead in the second, the Pioneers answered with two runs in the home half of the frame to go ahead 2-1. Three doubles in their first four at-bats fueled the offense, as
Emily Carroll led off the frame with a two-bagger to left before
Nicole Henke brought her home with her own double to left center. Finally,
Charlene Davis rocketed a ball down the right-field line, allowing Henke to score from third.
The Pioneers again followed a Stonehill scoring inning by topping them in the bottom half of the frame. After the Skyhawks tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth, SHU retaliated with two more runs to take a 4-2 advantage.
Carly Koltko started things off with her second home run of the series, a booming shot to left center. The second run came from Carroll and Henke, as Carroll doubled to right field in the next at-bat before Henke drove her home with a single to center.
Leading 4-2, SHU tacked on five insurance runs in the sixth to blow the doors off today's contest. A two-RBI double by
Cierra Bender highlighted the frame, while
Jess Brown, Koltko and Davis also notched RBIs.
In the circle,
Sam Kowalski earned her seventh win of the season today, tossing all 7.0 frames and allowing just two earned runs with a pair of strikeouts
As a team, the Pioneers finished with a season-best 16 hits, the team's highest mark since the 2017 season.
Up Next:
The Pioneers welcome NEC foe Central Connecticut State to Pioneer Park on Tuesday, April 2, for a doubleheader. The first of the two games will start at 1 p.m.
