After dropping a 7-0 opening game to Husson University Friday, Eastern (29-8-1) became the first casualty of the four-team double-elimination tournament following a 6-3 loss to Johnson & Wales University at Clark Field on the Wheaton College campus.

The Warriors played from behind throughout the tournament, giving up four runs on four hits, a walk and hit batter in the second inning against Johnson & Wales (22-15), stringing together as many as two consecutive hits only twice in the game in losing their first two regional tournament games for only the second time in 20 NCAA appearances dating back to 1982.

Facing its opponent's No. 1 pitcher for the second straight day, Eastern managed only eight hits – seven singles – off freshman righty Jennifer Corona (18-8). Corona did not walk or strikeout out a batter in posting her 17^th complete game in 23 starts.

 

Trailing 5-0, Eastern got two back in the third but still trailed 6-2 entering the fifth. An infield error and, senior first baseman Sam Rossetti's (Shelton) second hit of the game and a double steal provided the Warriors with an unearned run in the fifth that made it 6-3. Eastern brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth when sophomore DP Summer Cipriani (North Stonington) and senior leftfielder Shannon Martin (Wethersfield) singled, but Corona induced a ground ball for the second out and an infield pop that ended the inning.

At right: Pinch hitter Haeli Campbell pops out to shortstop for the final out of the sixth inning of Saturday's 6-3 loss to Johnson & Wales University.

Making her 21^st start of the season (second in as many days), senior righty Erin Miller (Waterford) was touched for an unearned run in the first when the Wildcats took the lead for good on a throwing error and sacrifice fly, then gave way to sophomore righty Samantha Valentine (Ridge, NY) while Johnson & Wales was scoring four times in the second. Corona drove in the first run of the inning with a single and later scored the second run on Eileen Eads' single to left. Miller was lifted after hitting Cynthia Proby, and Valentine's first pitch was laced into left field for an RBI single.

Rossetti, Martin and junior third baseman Samantha Rentz (Griswold) each had two hits for Eastern, which batted .250 in the tournament with just one extra-base hit after batting .336  with 98 extra-base hits during the season.  The Warriors also commited three errors in each game.

Rossetti represented Eastern on the ten-player all-tournament team. She batted .429 (3-for-7) with an RBI and handled 19 chances without an error at first base.