Endicott powers way to walk-off win over Salve Regina in CCC Tournament

BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott scored five of their six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning via the long ball en route to a 9-0 (5 inn.) shutout over Salve Regina in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament.  Junior shortstop Kelley Michael's (Ipswich, Mass.) third homerun of the season, a three-run blast over the left field wall, delivered the walk-off win for the top seed Gulls. 

The Gulls (19-18) remain in the winners bracket of the CCC Tournament and will face #2 Roger Williams on Thursday, May 2^nd at 4:30 pm at Endicott's Softball Complex.  The Hawks defeated #3 Western New England 6-1 on Monday afternoon to advance. 

Salve Regina (23-18), the #5 seed, defeated #4 University of New England in their first game of the double elimination tournament by a score of 3-2.  Now 1-1 in the playoffs, the Seahawks move into the losers bracket where they will face #6 Curry on Thursday, March 2^nd at 2:30 pm on the campus of Gordon College. 

Endicott got on the scoreboard first against the Seahawks when Gulls freshman third baseman and Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) crushed a two-out, 0-1 pitch from senior Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) over the centerfield wall for her seventh homerun of the season. 

An inning later, the Gulls got another two-out RBI as senior first baseman Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) singled to drive home senior Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) and junior Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.).  Russo and Bilafer would both lead the team with two hits and two runs scored each.

Bilafer started Endicott's walk-off rally in the bottom of the fifth with her second homerun of the spring, sending a line drive shot to left to make it 5-0 Gulls.  Back-to-back singles by senior catcher Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) and Martin put runners first and second with just one out which set up a RBI hit up the middle for senior Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.).  Michael followed Katz and ended the game with one swing as her three-run blast gave her 20 RBIs on the year.

In the circle for Endicott, junior pitcher Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) allowed just four hits in five shutout innings while striking out four.  The CCC Pitcher of the Year improved to 11-2 on the year and only ran into trouble in the top of the fifth when hits by junior outfielder Sara Nelson (Bristol, Conn.) and freshman second baseman Melissa Figueiredo (East Bridgewater, Mass.) put runners on first and second with two outs.  O'Connor, however, escaped the jam by getting a groundout to end the inning.