NEWPORT, R.I. – The Salve Regina softball team suffered a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Eastern Connecticut State on a chilly Thursday evening at Toppa Field. The Warriors 11 runs in their final three at bats to take the first game, 16-5, before plating two insurance runs in the sixth inning of the second game to defeat the Seahawks, 8-4. 

With the pair of losses, Salve Regina moves to 16-12 on the season while Eastern Connecticut State improves to 17-7 on the year. 

The Warriors jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first four innings behind a three-run third. Freshman Alyssa Hancock (Waterford, Conn.) reached on a Seahawk error to put a runner on and no outs for Eastern Connecticut. Senior Arielle Cooper (Mystic, Conn.) connected on a 0-1 pitch and sent it far over the centerfield fence to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. With one out in the inning, sophomore Sam Rossetti (Shelton, Conn.) hit the second home run of the inning for the Warriors to push their lead to 4-0. ECSU tacked on another run in the top of the fourth to take a 5-0 lead off its third home run of the game, this time from junior Megan Brody (Mystic, Conn.). 

Salve Regina countered with a five-run fourth inning to tie the ball game. With one out and facing a hitter's count, junior Marissa Simpson (Brimfield, Mass.) broke up senior Christine Akcer's (Midlford, Conn.) no-hitter with the fourth home run of the game to straight away center field. Senior Jillian Quintana (Denver, Colo.) nearly missed with a home run of her own but would settled for a deep double off the top of the right center fence.  After a throwing error by the Warriors third baseman allowed senior Megan Jakiela (Meriden, Conn.) to reach safely and bring Quintana home, the Seahawks strung together four-straight hits to tie the game at 5-5 after four innings. 

The Warriors answered, however, with their own five-run inning to take a 10-5 lead on six hits while only leaving one man on. Junior Megan Bondy (Mystic, Conn.) delivered the final two-run double of the inning to score senior Kelly Paterson (Southington, Conn.) and junior Jen Tamindzija (Malden, Mass.). 

Eastern Connecticut added two more in the sixth and plated its last four runs in the top of the seventh to seal the 16-5 victory. 

Sophomore Shannon Martin (Wethersfield, Conn.) earned the win in relief for the Warriors after coming in the game in the fourth inning, going 3.1, not allowing a run on three hits while striking out two. Simpson suffered the loss for Salve Regina, also coming out in relief, throwing four innings, allowing 12 runs on 14 hits and one walk while picking up a strikeout. 

After the Warriors once again took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Seahawks responded and took their first lead of the doubleheader. With no outs and runners on the corners, sophomore Lauren Nicholson (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) stuck out swinging but the ball got away from the Warriors catcher and junior Jennifer Edine (Warwick, R.I.) was able to score and junior Sara Nelson (Bristol, Conn.) moved up to third. Senior Jen Cruver (North Haven, Conn.) singled through the left side to score Nelson and give Salve Regina a 2-1 lead.

The Seahawks added another run in the bottom of the third with an RBI-single to right from Nelson to score Quintana and push the Seahawk lead to 3-1. 

The Warriors fought back and used their second five-run inning of the afternoon to retake the lead, 6-3 in the fourth. Paterson laced a two-run double to center to tie the game at 3-3 before Hancock singled to center to give the lead back to ECSU, 4-3. Junior Mattie Brett (Waterford, Conn.) hit what proved to be the game-winning two-run triple to score Cooper and Hancock and push the visitor's lead to 6-3. 

The Seahawks got one back in the bottom of the inning, but could not complete the rally. After senior Ali Muehlbronner (Glenside, Pa.) reached on a bunt single, she was moved two bases on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Melissa Figueiredo (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) for Simpson who grounded out to second but brought home Muehlbronner and cut the lead to 6-4. 

The Warriors capped the scoring for game with a two-run sixth to put the game out of the reach from Salve Regina and bring the score to its final, 8-4. 

Freshman Dominique Burnham (Scarborough, Maine) took the loss in her first collegiate start, going the distance but allowing eight runs on 11 hits and two walks while striking out six. Sophomore Erin Miller (Waterford, Conn.) got the win for the Warriors after coming out in relief and pitching 5.2 innings. Miller allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two. 

Salve Regina returns to the diamond when the Seahawks travel to face the University of New England in a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 13. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.