MANSFIELD, Conn. – Eastern Connecticut State University freshman Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) and Western New England University sophomore Aimee Kistner each pitched two-hit shutouts as the Warriors and Golden Bears split a non-conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon at the Eastern Softball Stadium.

Behind Bolduk's (5-4) six-strikeout performance, Eastern (9-12) broke open a tight game with three unearned runs in the sixth inning of the first game in a 5-0 victory. Western New England (9-7) gained the split when Kistner (4-3) allowed only one baserunner on a walk over the final four innings, and senior cleanup hitter Jenn Luba drove in the only runs of the game with a two-run single in the fifth in the Golden Bears' 2-0 victory.

The shutout was the second of the year for Bolduk and first for Kistner.

The only extra-base hit on the day came off the bat of Eastern freshman  rightfielder Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington),  and came with one out in the third inning of a scoreless first game.  Tyrrell moved to third on an infield ground ball and came home when she was hit by the ball by WNEU sophomore catcher Mallory Donelan.

Sophomore third baseman Crysta Wolski's (West Hartford) single sent home sophomore second baseman Jackie Lewis (Mystic) with an unearned run to make it 2-0 in the fourth inning of the first game, and the Warriors broke it open by scoring three runs in the sixth after there were two out and none one. An infield error got the inning going, Wolski then reached on an infield single, and sophomore catcher Megan Hodgdon (Cheshire) drove in the first run of the inning with a single. Freshman pinch hitter Kat Devolve (Plainfield) then laced a two-run single to center to make it 5-0.

Kistner put an end to Eastern's six-game winning streak in the nightcap, the Warriors only able to stay within striking distance as the Golden Bears stranded ten runners against sophomore lefty starter Morgan Sanson (Thomaston) and Bolduk. Bolduk replaced Sanson with two on in the fifth inning of a scoreless second game, and got a strikeout looking for the first out before Luba singled hard up the middle for the only two runs of the game.

Kistner fanned three and walked only one in the second game, with Bolduk  walking only one in the route-going performance in the first. In two games, Bolduk allowed four hits and two walks while fanning ten. She was not charged with any runs.

Hodgdon was the only player on either team with more than two hits. She reached four times with three singles and a walk, while Wolski had two hits. Bolduk, who started the second game at third base, handled eight chances defensively without an error.

Freshman second baseman Emily Cooney had two hits in the second game for WNEU, while Luba and senior shortstop Lindsay Williams each had two hits in the doubleheader.

Eastern hosts MIT Tuesday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference doubleheader.