Endicott takes two from Roger Williams; Gulls stand alone atop CCC

BRISTOL, R.I. – The Endicott softball team captured two critical victories over Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Roger Williams on Saturday afternoon, winning 12-4 and 11-0 (6 inn.) to take a firm grasp of first place in the conference standings. 

The Gulls (16-16, 15-1 CCC), along with honoring Senior Day for four impact student-athletes on Sunday, could also be celebrating a CCC regular season title and earning top seed in the upcoming conference tournament.  Endicott is hosting Salve Regina, currently ranked fourth in the league, for a doubleheader starting at 12:00 pm needing only one victory over the Seahawks to clinch first place.

Game One: Endicott 12, Roger Williams 4

Tied 4-4 going in to the top of the sixth, Endicott erupted for seven runs on six hits and one Hawks error to take a commanding 11-4 lead.  Freshman third baseman Sam DiBella's (Danvers, Mass.) double to left started the rally as Amanda Campbell (Billerica, Mass.) and Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) scored the go-ahead runs to make it 6-4.

After a single by freshman Jamie Corda (Higganum, Conn.) put DiBella on third, a Roger Williams error off the bat of Gulls junior Alexandra Moise (North Reading, Mass.) allowed DiBella to reach home.  The next batter, senior Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) as part of a 3-for-5 day at the plate, hit a single through the left side of the infield to score another run and junior Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) followed with a bunt hit to bring home Moise. 

With the score 9-4 Endicott still with only one out, Endicott senior catcher Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) capped off the seven-run inning with a triple to right that brought home Bilafer and Russo to make it 11-4 Gulls.

Endicott would add another run in the top of the seventh on a RBI single by Russo as Corda scored for the second time in the game.

In the circle, Gulls junior pitcher Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) allowed 12 hits and four runs, three earned, but still managed to improve to 9-2 on the season.  O'Connor struck out three in the complete game. 

O'Connor saw two Roger Williams runners cross the plate in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Veronica Alicea (Trumbull, Conn.) and Alana Peoples (Scarborough, Maine).  The Gulls would storm back in the top of the third with four runs as Fales, Martin, and junior shortstop Kelley Michael (Ipswich, Mass.) had three straight RBI hits.  Martin's single through the right side scored two runners. 

Alicea would collect her second and third RBIs of the day in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game before Endicott exploded for seven runs in the top of the sixth to take the game over.

Game Two: Endicott 11, Roger Williams 0 (6 inn.)

Endicott sophomore pitcher Cameron Sprague (Clifton Park, N.Y.) pitched a six-inning complete game shutout, allowing just four hits with no walks while striking six batters to earn her fourth victory of the season.  Sprague didn't allow a runner to get past second base the entire game.

DiBella continued her strong rookie campaign, knocking in three runs on a 2-for-3 day at the dish which included a two-run homerun to left.  The homerun was her fifth of the season, putting her in a tie with Martin for a team lead.

Katz also had a standout day at the plate with three hits, two RBI, and a run scored as she upped her season average to .345.

Martin got it started in the top of the first with a triple to right which scored Russo, who had reached on an error to start the inning.  In the second and fourth innings, Russo and Moise each had RBI singles to put the Gulls up 3-0.

Endicott would score four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to break the game open offensively.   In the fifth, after Fales double and was pinch run for by Campbell, Campbell advanced to third on a passed ball and reached home on an errant throw by the catcher.  Later in the inning, Katz hit a RBI single up the middle and DiBella delivered her blast over the left field wall to plate herself and freshman Julia Marra (Litchfield, N.H.) who had replaced Katz on the base path. 

In the top of the sixth, Endicott tacked on four more runs on a first and third situation that saw Bilafer scamper home from third, a RBI single by Katz, a sacrifice fly by DiBella, and the final run by Michael who raced home during a rundown situation.