Endicott sweeps Eastern Nazarene to capture first wins of 2013 season

QUINCY, Mass. – The Endicott softball team exploded for four homeruns in a doubleheader sweep over Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Eastern Nazarene as the Gulls won 10-0 (5 inn.) and 8-4 to improve to 2-10 (2-0 CCC).

The Gulls played another pair of league games tomorrow afternoon at home against rival University of New England starting at 12:00 pm at the Endicott Softball Complex. 

Game One – Endicott 10, Eastern Nazarene 0 (5 inn.)

Five innings of two-hit ball in the circle for junior pitcher Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) and a pair of homeruns by junior first baseman Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) fueled Endicott first win of the season in game one of a doubleheader with the Lions. 

O'Connor earned the complete game shutout to improve to 1-2 on the season as she allowed just two hits while walking none and striking out six batters.

Martin went 2-for-4 on the day with two homeruns and three RBI to lead Endicott's offensive outburst.  Martin followed teammate Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) in the top of the third as the duo knocked back-to-back solo homeruns to put the Gulls on top 5-0.  In the top of the fourth, Martin hit her second bomb of the day to centerfield to put the scoreboard at 8-0. Fales also finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. 

The Gulls took advantage of four Eastern Nazarene errors in the first game scoring three times in the top of the second with two outs on the board. 

Game Two – Endicott 8, Eastern Nazarene 4

The Gulls used a five-run top of the first, capped off by a three-run blast by senior outfielder Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.), to build early-game momentum against the Lions in game two.  Endicott went ahead 7-0 before Eastern Nazarene scored twice in the bottom of the fifth and once more in the bottom of the sixth to cut in the Gulls' lead. 

Katz finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI and Martin once again came up big with three more RBI.  Junior Danielle LaRocque (Averill Park, N.Y.) hit a fielder's choice RBI to score Amanda Campbell (Billerica, Mass.) to bring home Endicott's eighth run of the game.

Junior second baseman Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) had two hits including a double while scoring twice.  Leftfielder Jamie Corda (Higganum, Conn.) also scored twice while getting on base in two out of three at bats. 

Freshman hurler Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) went the distance, pitching seven complete innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits and a walk.  She struck out five batters.