Gulls improve to 13-1 in TCCC after two wins over Curry

Beverly, Mass. – The Endicott softball team won twice over TCCC opponent Curry College on Sunday afternoon, winning by scores of 2-0 and 8-0 (five innings). 

The Gulls improved to 19-5 overall and 13-1 in conference play while the Colonels dropped to 12-18 (7-9 TCCC). 

Boxscore

Both starting pitchers hurled complete games, but Endicott’s Jenna Bortolotti (Milton, Mass.) kept the Colonels scoreless through seven innings to improve to 8-3 on the season. Bortolotti allowed seven hits and one walked but struck out five Curry batters as the senior won her sixth straight start on the mound.

Curry senior Janelle Mayo (Worcester, Mass.) pitched six strong innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and no walks while striking out four batters. 

With two outs in the top of second and a runner on first base for Curry, Colonels threatened to score after designated player Samantha Scanlon (Raynham, Mass.) roped a double down the left field line. Left fielder Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.) collected the ball and threw a strike to shortstop Mattie Brett (Waterford, Conn.) who relayed the ball home in time to get the runner at the plate, keeping the score at 0-0 early in the game.

The Colonels gave up an unearned run in the second inning after Endicott centerfielder Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) doubled to left, then stole third base with just one out in the inning. The next batter, Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), reached base to make it a first and third situation. Martin attempted to steal second, but when the catcher’s throw was bobbled by the second baseman, Wright scampered home for the game’s first run. 

The two teams put zeroes on the board for the next three innings until the bottom of the sixth. Gulls freshman Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) singled the lead off the inning, then after a strikeout, stole second base to get into scoring position. Bilafer advanced to third on a groundout, then scored on an infield single by Hayley Hovhanessian (Farmington, Conn.) to put Endicott up 2-0.

In their last at-bat, the Colonels looked to score with one out after a double to left center by sophomore Mikaela Carney (North Reading, Mass.), but Bortolotti forced a foul out to first base and struck out the final batter to get the game one win.

Boxscore

In game two, the Endicott bats came alive to score eight runs on 11 hits to earn a 8-0, five-inning victory to complete the sweep over Curry. Endicott’s Ashley Wright tied three other Gulls batters with two hits, but the senior crossed the plate three times, knocked in a run and stole her team-leading 11^th base of the season. 

Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.), Jesse Bilafer, and Alli Noyes (Tewksbury, Mass.) each recorded two hits in the game as well. Russo and Bilafer knocked in a run each while Noyes drove in two runners on RBI singles in the third and fifth innings. Freshman first baseman Jennie Lacolla (Stoneham, Mass.) scored twice and drove in the walk-off run in the fifth inning on an RBI single to left field.

On the mound for the Gulls, sophomore Kayla Carignan (Laconia, N.H.) went five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out two to improve to a perfect 5-0 on the season. 

Curry threatened to score in the top of the second after a single by Mikaela Carney and a double by Valarie LaSala (Seaford, N.Y.) made it second and third with two outs. Carignan, however, got the next batter to pop out to third base to end the inning, stranding two runners. 

Curry’s pitcher, senior Amanda Peters (East Bridgewater, Mass.), pitched four innings and gave up five earned runs on eight hits and four walks. She struck out one. 

The Gulls will host TCCC rival Western New England College on Wednesday, April 13^th in a rematch of the 2010 TCCC Championship game. The doubleheader starts at 3:00 pm. Curry travels to Gordon College on Wednesday for their TCCC doubleheader starting at 3:00 pm.