CNE TOURNAMENT: Softball Downs Hartford, 4-2; Punches Ticket To Semifinal Round

BEVERLY, Mass. — The first-seeded Endicott softball team defeated fifth-seeded Hartford, 4-2, in Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament quarterfinal action on Thursday afternoon at the Softball Complex.

WP (8-3): Kristen Beebe (Brentwood, N.H.) — 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LP (7-5): Ella Zobel (Clarence, N.Y.) — 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
SV (10): Analise Grady (Reading, Mass.) — 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

The Gulls jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the early going, highlighted by back-to-back RBI singles from Maddie Beeley (Salem, N.H.) and Ella Tower (Windham, N.H.) in the third inning. 

After Hartford responded with solo tallies in the fourth and fifth, Kylyn McLaren (Rochester, N.H.) regained all momentum for the Gulls in the bottom half of the latter frame, blasting a solo home run over the left-center fence to make it 4-2.

The no-doubter was her team-leading sixth longball of the season.

Grady finished off the final two innings, not allowing a runner into scoring position, to secure her 10th save of the season (tied first in D3).

Catherine Seay (Marlborough, Mass.) and Mia Mitchell (Medford, Mass.) also played major roles down the stretch defensively, making standout plays in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

In the fourth, Seay, the Gulls' third baseman, made a diving grab on a hot-shot toward the shortstop hole to rob a one-out base hit.

Mitchell, Endicott's junior shortstop, followed in the fifth with a long throw across the diamond with two outs, stranding runners at second and third base only leading 3-2, at the time.

Seay was not to be outdone, as the sophomore backhanded a hard-hit ball up the third base line in the sixth, robbing a potential double before throwing to second base for a force out. 

All three plays served as momentum boosters, much like McLaren's homer in the fifth, in the tightly contested CNE Quarterfinals matchup. 

BEYOND THE SCORE

• Endicott is 7-2 at home this spring.
• The Hawks are 7-13 on the road this season.
• Elyse Saccoccio (Coventry, R.I.) pushed across the game's first run on a fielder's choice in the second, her team-leading 33rd RBI of the year.
• The Gulls are 18-5 overall when scoring first in their 2026 campaign.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (23-12) will play No. 2 Roger Williams in the CNE Semifinals tomorrow at 1 PM in Beverly. Hartford (20-19) takes on No. 3 Johnson & Wales at 3:15 PM, with the winner of the contest advancing to tomorrow's portion of the double-elimination bracket format. 

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(Photo Credit - Griffin Jones '28)