MANSFIELD, Conn. --  Junior Erin Miller (Waterford) gave up only two singles and an unearned run in a complete-game effort to lead the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team to a 4-1 victory in the opener and an eventual split of a Little East Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Eastern Softball Stadium.

At right: Eastern honored its five outgoing seniors following Saturday's Little East Conference doubleheader against Rhode Island College at the Eastern Softball Stadium: Megan Bondy, Mattie Brett, Jen Tamindzija,  Stephanie Johnson and Megan Godwin. (Photo by Rhea Gorham)

After losing for the seventh time in the last eight games against Eastern (20-10, 8-2 Little East) in the first game, Rhode Island (11-21, 5-5 Little East) erased  a 1-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the top of the sixth inning of the nightcap in a 3-1 victory which ended Eastern's 13-game winning streak and dealt the Warriors just their second home loss in ten contests this year.

Eastern retains its one-game lead over Western Connecticut State University in its quest for an unprecedented fifth straight LEC regular-season title. The Colonials split a home pair with UMass Dartmouth, losing 4-3 in 12 innings before gaining the split with a 6-2 second-game victory. Plymouth State University forged a two-way tie for second place with Western with 6-2, 4-1 triumphs over host UMass Boston.

At left: Senior Megan Godwin (third from left) was honored with the Jeffrey W. Anderson Memorial Award prior to the start of Saturday's doubleheader. (Photo by Rhea Gorham)

Miller (8-4) retired the first 16 batters in order before No. 8 hitter Katelyn McCaughey legged out a one-out infield single in the sixth. Miller got a strikeout and infield ground ball to extinguish the threat and lost the shutout when the Anchorwomen pushed across an unearned run in the seventh on two infield errors, a passed ball, and single.

In the opener, senior Mattie Brett (Waterford) doubled and scored the first run in the first inning, then drove in  seniors Megan Godwin (Manchester) and Jen Tamindzija (Malden, MA) with a two-out single in the second to make it 3-0. Freshman  Kristyn Ryan's (Barkhamsted) sacrifice fly gave Eastern a 4-0 lead in the fifth.

Junior Sam Rossetti (Shelton) moved to within one of her 100^th career hit with three hits on the day. She doubled in the fifth inning of the opener to set up Ryan's sac fly, and collected two of Eastern's  five hits in the opener off three Rhode Island pitchers.

Freshman Lindsey Cabral, and seniors Michelle Sylvestre and Maria Darling combined on a five-hitter for Rhode Island in the nightcap. Cabral was charged with Eastern's run in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore Samantha Rentz (Griswold) plated senior Stephanie Johnson (Plantsville) with a sacrifice fly, but her teammates answered with all three of their runs in the top of the sixth off Eastern sophomore Emily Komornik (Shelton).  The Anchorwomen had three hits in the inning – two of them bunts – and also benefitted from an infield throwing error.

At left: Erin Miller

Darling gained her first save by getting three infield ground balls after walking Tamindzija in the seventh.

On Seniors' Day Eastern honored its five seniors after the doubleheader: Megan Bondy (Mystic), Brett, Godwin, Johnson, and Tamindzija. A three-year starter at catcher, Bondy is unable to play this year for health reasons. Godwin was also honored with the Jeffrey W. Anderson Memorial Award prior to the start of the first game. The award is named in honor of the former Eastern student and assistant and head softball coach who passed away in 1992.

Eastern hosts Western Connecticut Tuesday in a 5 p.m. conference doubleheader.