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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Veronica Alicea (CCC 3rd Team) pulled a one-out triple down the left field line to score two in the top of the 9th inning and fifth-seeded Roger Williams University hung on for a 3-2 victory over No. 4 University of New England in the double elimination phase (Game 3 of 13) of the 2016 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Softball Championship on Tuesday afternoon (May 3) at Golden Bear Park on the campus of Western New England University.

The Hawks (21-17) advance to face the top-seeded hosts in Game 5 later in the day, while the Nor'easters (25-14) will look to stay alive on Thursday (2 p.m.) against second seed Endicott College. That elimination match (Game 7) will be played back at WNEU. Click HERE for the tournament bracket.

Meghan Maliga (CCC 3rd Team) improved her personal record to 11-9 with the complete-game win for RWU, striking out three against four walks and seven hits. Her counterpart for most of the contest, UNE starter Abby Lambert (CCC 3rd Team), went eight frames in a no-decision of three strikeouts and three hits with two free passes. Melissa Sprague took the loss for the Nor'easters.

Things were scoreless through four stanzas, though Roger Williams needed consecutive fly outs to keep it that way in the UNE 2nd, when the home team threatened with runners at first and third. The Hawks then received a lead-off homer to left in the 5th by Julianne Vesce (CCC 2nd Team) to take the lead.

The Nor'easters responded in the bottom of the 6th, which Avery Alberghini (CCC 1st Team & Rookie of the Year) started with a bunt single. After two ground outs and a walk, Kelly Murphy brought Alberghini in to tie the score (1-1) with a single through the left side.

Lambert induced three fly outs in the RWU 7th to give her side a chance to end it in regulation, but UNE was unable to do anything with a lead-off walk and then a two-out walk. Lambert breezed through the 8th, and again the Nor'easters could not produce a tally after the initial batter reached in the last half of the session.

With one away in what proved to be the deciding frame, back-to-back singles from Mikaela Grosso and Micaela Pohl set the stage for Alicea's go-ahead hit.

UNE managed the keep the deficit at 3-1 for its at-bat, and a fielder's choice on the second out put Sydney Helmbrecht (CCC 2nd Team) aboard for an RBI-double to left-center by Alberghini that cut the margin to one. However, Maliga fanned the ensuing hitter to seal the result for the Hawks.

Meredith Moise (CCC 3rd Team) had a team-high two hits for Roger Williams, while Amanda Vallante (CCC 1st Team) and Andrea Gosper (CCC 2nd Team) joined Alberghini with two hits for the Nor'easters.