Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

MILTON, Mass. -- The University of New England produced two very different kinds of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) softball wins on Saturday afternoon (Apr. 23), defeating Curry College 10-1 in five innings and then edging the hosts by a 2-1 margin in the second game at D. Forbes Will Field.

Winners of six straight in conference action, the Nor'easters (23-11) up their CCC ledger to 12-4 with one final doubleheader before the league tournament. Big Blue will return home to face first-place Western New England University (14-2 CCC) on Sunday at 12 p.m.

The Colonels (13-21, 4-12 CCC) had won their previous three contests with UNE before dropping the pair.

UNE plated all the runs it would need in the top of the 1st inning of GAME 1 to gain a 2-0 cushion. Avery Alberghini started with a single and moved to third on an error. Amanda Vallante grounded out to get one across before Abby Lambert helped her own cause with an RBI-single to score Anna Sessa. Then in the 2nd, a lead-off walk translated into a one-out RBI-single by Alberghini and a 3-0 advantage.

Seven runs in the 4th blew things open, behind eight hits and two errors. Included in the surge was Alberghini's third hit of the match and second run, two hits for Sydney Helmbrecht as the lineup batted around, and the second hit for Andrea Gosper. Sessa had an RBI-single and scored again, Vallante drove in one with a hit, and Lauren Jones made it 9-0 with a two-RBI double to left-center.

Curry broke up the shutout in the bottom of the frame, using a one-out single and double to position runners for a sacrifice fly.

Lambert added two hits on offense and limited the Colonels to four over four innings in the circle to get her sixth win. Sophia Burnham worked a clean 5th to wrap things up early.

Jessica Saluti had half of the hits for the hosts. Mikayla Lambert gave up three earned runs in 3+ innings of the loss.

GAME 2 began much like the opener, with UNE tacking two on the board in the 1st. After a one-out error and single, and a two-out walk to load the bases, Gosper singled to drive in the unearned runs by Sessa and Vallante.

Curry got one back in the 2nd, when Rachel Byrd doubled with one down and advanced the rest of the way as errors framed the ensuing play.

Katelyn Austin and Melissa Sprague shut down any further offense by Colonels, however, securing Austin's eighth win and Sprague's fourth save. Austin escaped the 5th after a two-out hit-by-pitch and subsequent double -- Curry's second and final hit -- with a strikeout, and Sprague retired each of the six batters she faced over the 6th and 7th.

Jordan Lizotte was tagged with the setback for the hosts, giving up four hits and four walks.

Vallante and Alberghini closed the day with active hit streaks in double digits, at 12 and 10 games, respectively.