MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior Jackie Lewis (Mystic) and freshman Brooke Matytasovsky (Orange) combed to drive in nine runs with three hits each in the first game, and sophomore righty Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) pitched her sixth career shutout and hit a three-run home run in the second game as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team opened its Little East Conference and home seasons with 11-3 and 4-0 victories over the University of Southern Maine Sunday afternoon at Clyde Washburne Field. The second game was stopped due to the eight-run rule.

The pre-season favorite in the LEC coaches' poll, Eastern (9-3) collected 12 hits – including four home runs – to win the opener, and Bolduk (7-0) broke open her own pitching dual with freshma righty Ashley Alward  of Southern Maine (7-7) with a two-out, three-run home run in the sixth inning of the nightcap.

With Eastern leading 1-0 in the opener and two outs in the second inning, sophomore Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington) homered to left to tie the game and after a walk and hit batter, cleanup hitter Matyasovsky belted a three-run home run to left as the Warriors opened up a 5-0 lead. Lewis slammed a two-run, two-out home run to highlight a three-run fourth inning and ended the game with a three-run bomb with one out in the sixth.

Junior lefty Morgan Sanson (Thomaston) and junior righty Haleigh Cardello (Litchfield, NH)  combined on a six-hitter in the first game. Sanson  pitched into the fourth inning before giving way to Cardello (2-1), who stranded the bases loaded with a called strikeout to preserve Eastern's 5-1 lead. Cardello allowed one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings for the win.

Bolduk scattered three hits in the nightcap, fanning eight and walking one. Alward gave up only six hits with six strikeouts and three walks and was charged with three earned runs.

Tyrrell led Eastern in the sweep with five hits – including a double and her first career home run among her three hits in the first game.

Juniors Kayleigh Bohan and Erin Martin  each had three of Southern Maine's on the day and first-game losing  pitcher Alexis Brown drove in two runs with a two-out double in the sixth inning of the opener.

Eastern hosts Springfield College Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader at 3 p.m.