Game 1 Statistics
Game 2 Statistics
WENHAM, Mass. -- The University of New England received strong performances from a trio of rookie hitters and a sophomore pitcher to bounce back with a 10-1 (6 innings) Conference of New England (CNE) softball victory against Gordon College on Friday (Apr. 10). The host Fighting Scots took the opener by an 8-4 margin, scoring twice in the 5th and five more times in the 6th.
Four Nor'easters recorded hits on both sides of the doubleheader, including
Emma Michaud, who became the 24th player in program history to reach 100 in a career. Michaud had three hits on the day, and the junior has raised her career average from .300 at the start of the year to .329, as she currently leads UNE with .456 batting efficiency in 2026.
Elise Connor and
Kyleigh Matola also totaled three hits -- all for extra bases -- while Matola racked up six runs batted in.
Zofia Twarog had one hit in each game to go with three runs scored. All three had home runs on the afternoon, bumping UNE's season sum to nine; the last two seasons, the squad had eight and two.
The Nor'easters (10-9, 4-5 CNE) return home on Saturday (12 p.m.) to entertain Curry College, with Michaud and Twarog working on eight and seven-game hitting streaks, respectively.
For Gordon (9-14, 2-6), Peyton Heitzman and Emily Hutchins collected four total hits during the twinbill. Caoimhe Wernsing added three, and Emily Graham contributed three runs batted in.
The visitors scored early and consistently and never looked back in
GAME 2 (UNE 10-1), as Matola, Twarog, and
Adrianna Carsetti did quite a bit of damage at the dish. Matola and Twarog both drove in four runs in the match, making it the first time since March 25, 2014 that multiple players had provided at least 4 RBI in the same game. Matola's hits were both doubles, plating the initial run in the top of the 1st and then UNE's last two in the 6th. Twarog belted her team-leading third homer (2 RBI) to make it 5-0 in the 3rd, and added a couple of sacrifice flies.
Carsetti, meanwhile, logged a 4-for-4 outing -- featuring two doubles -- and touched home four times for the Nor'easters. Notching four hits in as many at-bats has now been done 32 times over UNE's last 1,002 contests (dating back to 1996), and scoring at least four runs is equally special, occurring just 27 times during the same span. Carsetti stands second on the team with a .362 average.
In the circle,
Lizzie Brytowski fanned five to secure the complete-game win for her first decision of the season. The margin of victory was UNE's largest of the season.
Michaud had two hits and reached base three times; she herself scored twice, while a pinch runner crossed home the other time.
Hannah Lappin tacked on a pair of singles, one of which knocked in a run, just like Carsetti, once.
For the hosts, Graham had the lone RBI in the bottom of the 4th. Kassie Snowman lasted just 1.1 innings in the loss.
The only time UNE concluded an at-bat without being ahead or tied in
GAME 1 (GC 8-4) was the top of the 7th, as the Fighting Scots made the most of four singles, two walks, and two errors to score five times in the 6th. Heitzman had two of her three hits in the frame.
An RBI-double from
Fiona Casey knotted the contest at 1-1 in the 2nd, before the first collegiate homer by the senior Connor shifted the Nor'easters in front in the 4th (2-1). Then, trailing briefly (3-2) heading to the 6th, Matola delivered her first four-bagger, with Twarog aboard, to flip the edge back in UNE's favor (4-3).
Gordon's first seven batters reached in the last half of the 6th, and Hutchins' third hit leveled the score before things got away from the visitors. Graham picked up the pitching result in relief of Emilie Adelmann, who went 5.2 innings.
Liv Arvidson took the relief setback on the UNE side of things.
Kara MacDonald left with the advantage, scattering seven singles and two walks over five frames.
