Emily Fougere

Big Blue continues to roll with two shutouts of Pilgrims

Sophomore Erin Grover blasted her second homer of the season in UNE's first win

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Strong pitching and timely hitting helped the University of New England sweep New England College by scores of 8-0 and 5-0 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference softball action Saturday afternoon at Londonderry High School.

Senior Amber Zablowsky (Rochester, Mass.) and junior Erin Lyons (Salem, N.H.) earned the wins for UNE (19-5, 12-0 TCCC), which has now come out victorious in 17 consecutive outings.

Zablowsky went the distance in the opener, surrendering six hits and walking none while striking out three to move to 8-2 on the year.

The Nor'easters got all the scoring they would need in the top of the first inning, as sophomore Megan Gauger (South Paris, Maine) knocked in classmate Casey Brigham (New London, Conn.) and junior Ashley Gott (Winterport, Maine) with a two-out single to left field.

The two-run lead remained until the sixth, when senior Stephanie Podolski (Coventry, Conn.) laced a double to right, scoring junior Marie Mantelli (Thompson, Conn.) and first-year Whitney Porter (Buxton, Maine) to make it 4-0.

Brigham and Gott began the seventh by getting on base, and both came in to score as sophomore Erin Grover (Biddeford, Maine) hit her second home run of the season. UNE added one more in the frame to provide the final margin.

Game two went scoreless through three innings, before Big Blue plated four in the fourth. After Grover drove in Gott with a double, and then scored on an error as the play continued, sophomore Beth Smith (Delanson, N.Y.) sent two more around to score with a single to center later in the inning.

Smith made it 5-0 in the sixth, scoring on a double to right field by junior Maegen Johnson (Standish, Maine).

Lyons punched out six while walking none and giving up four hits to get the win. The Nor'easters got two hits apiece from Johnson, Gott, and Grover in the game.

For NEC (8-12, 7-5), sophomore Gabrielle Timms (Clark Summit, Pa.) and senior Bethany Forshaw (Waterford, Conn.) took the losses as the team's six-game win streak came to an end. Timms, classmate Alyssa Hoot (Waterville, Ohio), and first-year Jessica Kiehl (North Haven, Conn.) each had two hits on the day.

Both squads are back in action on Sunday, as UNE hosts Wentworth Institute of Technology (12 p.m.), and the Pilgrims visit Nichols College.