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Box Score 2 MANSFIELD, Conn. – All-America senior third baseman Arielle Cooper (Mystic) broke the program career record with a leadoff home run in the first inning of the opener, then added her 30th HR leading off the bottom of the seventh inning that ended the nightcap as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team swept Springfield College, 8-5, 5-4, Tuesday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Field.
Ranked No. 23 nationally, Eastern (9-5) recorded its third straight sweep of the season in extending its winning streak to six straight and defeating Springfield (6-12) for the tenth and 11th straight times.
The Warriors came from behind in both victories, wiping out a 5-1 deficit in the opener with seven runs in their final three at-bats and coming from a run down three times in the nightcap. Springfield tied the second game in the top of the seventh on a leadoff double by Kelly Blake and sacrifice fly by Johanna Burke before Cooper drove a 2-1 pitch over the right-center field fence for her 18th RBI of the season to make a winner of sophomore reliever Shannon Martin (Wethersfield).
Freshman Emily Komornik (Shelton) was instrumental in Eastern's first-game come-from-behind win when the righty pitched five scoreless innings in place of sophomore starting right Erin Miller (Waterford), allowing six hits and two walks while fanning three in evening her record at 3-3.
Down 5-1 in the opener, Eastern cut the margin to one when it scored three times in the fourth on sophomore rightfielder Sam Rossetti's (Shelton) first career home run – a blast to left-center which plated junior second baseman Megan Godwin (Manchester) and senior pinch runner Katie Sokoloski (Eastford). The Warriors tied the game with two out in the fifth when the right-handed-hitting Godwin poked an 0-2 pitch through the right side to plate senior first baseman Kelly Paterson (Southington), who had opened the inning with a single. A three-run sixth inning broke the tie, with junior centerfielder Mattie Brett (Waterford)scoring the go-ahead run on a one-out infield single, a two-base infield error on a sacrifice bunt, and Paterson's suicide squeeze. No. 9 hitter Alyssa Hancock (Waterford), a freshman, singled in two insurance runs with two out.
Martin (2-0) allowed only one hit and one run while fanning one and walking two in pitching the final three innings in relief of senior starting righty Christine Akcer (Milford).
Brett and Rossetti each had three hits for Eastern, with Paterson finishing with three and Hancock, Godwin, Cooper and freshman DP Alicia White (Colchester) contributing two each. Rossetti, Hancock and Godwin all drive in three runs. Cooper, who has hit safely in every game this year after setting a program record with a 33-game hitting streak last year, reached safely six times with her two hits and four walks and she scored three runs. She is now batting .583 and has 22 runs scored.
Komornik and Martin combined to allow only one (earned) run in eight innings of relief. They fanning four and walked four.
Springfield, swept for the first time in four northern doubleheaders, was led by Burke, who drove in four runs with a double, home run and single. She also walked twice. Christina Leader and Blake also had three hits apiece and Blake and leading hitter Jenna Web both drove in two runs.
Eastern hosts Lesley University in a 4 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday.
