WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Pitchers Erin Miller (Waterford) and Samantha Valentine (Ridge, NY) combined to strand 11 Ramapo College baserunners and senior first baseman Sam Rossetti (Shelton) provided the only needed offense with a sixth-inning two-run double as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team completed its spring trip with a 2-1 victory over Ramapo College Friday afternoon at Diamondplex.
In the first game, No. 9 Rowan University (17-0) remained undefeated by scoring five times on five hits in the first inning on the way to a 9-1, five-winning victory.
In the second game, Ramapo (7-5) had runners on base in every inning but the first and last, but the Roadrunners stranded nine from the third through the sixth innings. A senior, Miller (3-1) was lifted on the long end of a 2-1 lead after Ramapo loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the sixth. Valentine didn't allow a ball out of the infield in retiring the side on a force at home, popup, and ground ball to third in gaining her first save.
Eastern (7-3) finally broke through against Ramapo freshman righty Katrina Buczkowski (4-2) in the sixth by collecting three of its game total of five hits and getting help from an infield error. With one out, junior shortstop Alyssa Hancock (Waterford) singled to left and moved to second when sophomore second baseman Samantha Bardos's (Norwalk) ground ball was misplayed at short. The runners moved up a base with steals while Rossetti was faking a bunt. Rossetti then launched a two-run double – the only extra-base hit of the game – just over the glove of centerfielder Taylor May to give the Warriors the lead.
Ramapo turned a botched bunt into a double play to close out the inning and keep the Eastern lead at one run, but Valentine secured the win by retiring all six batters she faced to close out the win.
For Rowan, junior Allison Nolan and freshman Ashley Lesch combined on a five-hitter against Eastern, which also commited three errors. The Professors had 13 hits off Valentine and sophomore lefty Summer Cipriani (North Stonington).
The first four Rowan batters reached safely in the first as the Professors scored five runs on five hits and added three more in the third. Mia Baldassari was 3-for-4 and Shilah Snead and Damariz Mercado each had two hits and scored two runs. Mercado also drove in two runs in the first inning.
Cipriani's two-out RBI single to left in the fifth spoiled the shutout.
Hancock had two of Eastern's hits against Ramapo, batting .529 (18-for-34) with ten runs, 25 total bases and 27 assists in ten games. Rossetti batted .500 (15-for-30) with ten RBI and 19 total bases and junior catcher Taylor Smyth (Meriden) .400 (8-for-20). Valentine was 2-2 with a save and a 2.66 ERA in 26 1/3 innings and Miller had a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings.
As a team, Eastern batted .306 with a .944 fielding percentage and 2.20 ERA in Florida.
