MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior second baseman Jen Tamindzija (Malden, MA) tied the game with a two-out, fourth-inning single and sophomore shortstop Alyssa Hancock (Wateford) cracked a tie-breaking solo home run with two out in the sixth to carry the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team to a 2-1 victory over Western Connecticut State University on the way to a split of Tuesday's Little East Conference doubleheader at the Eastern Softball Stadium.

Western (26-8-1, 8-4 Little East) built a 5-0 lead in the second game and held on for a 5-4 victory over Eastern (21-11, 9-3 Little East), to pull back to within a game of the conference-leading Warriors.

With two games remaining in the regular season, four-time defending regular-season champion Eastern is one game ahead of 2013 LEC tournament titlist Western. Plymouth State is 7-3 with four games remaining.

At right: Sam Rossetti joined the 100-Hit Club in the first inning of Tuesday's second game. (Photo by Dave Santerre)

Junior Erin Miller (Waterford) went the distance for her ninth win in 13 decisions in the first game, allowing only five hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Western scored its only run in the second on a one-out double by Michaela Roche and a sacrifice fly by Kylee Ruther. Eastern tied the game in the fourth on a one-out single by Hancock (3-for-3 in the game) and Tamindzija's two-out single up the middle off complete-game loser Alle Sabith (13-6).

In the first game, Western scored three times in the third (two of the runs unearned) on a one-out single by Nina Wojtkiewicz and later, a two-run single to center by Julia Bocek. A walk and infield error and Roche's sacrifice fly also played roles in the three-run outburst.

Erin Biskup's two-out RBI bunt single and a stolen base of home made it 5-0 in the fifth before  Eastern got three  back in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Keegan and two-run, two-out double by Hancock off Sabith, who was inserted in relief of starter Emily Cintorino.

Eastern pulled to within a run on Tamindzija's leadoff double and No. 9 pnch hitter Krystan Ryan's RBI single in the seventh. Ryan was erased on a fielder's choice, however, and an infield ground ball left the tying run aboard.

Junior first baseman Sam Rossetti (Shelton)  reached the 100 career hit plateau with a first-inning opposite field single down the right field line in the second game.

Eastern hosts the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Wednesday in a 5 p.m. doubleheader.