MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University softball team capitalized on a dropped fly ball with two out in a six-run fifth inning for a 7-4 first-game win over Johnson & Wales University on the way to a non-conference sweep Tuesday afternoon at Clyde Washburne Field.

A winner of 20 games for the first time since 2015, Eastern (21-7) bolted to a 5-0 lead in the second game and three pitchers combined on a four-hitter in a 6-4 triumph. Eastern has won three straight over Johnson & Wales (13-15) since dropping five in a row.

Trailing 4-1 in the first game, Eastern pushed across six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Warriors batted around with four hits, two walks, a sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly and outfield error. Freshman Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) doubled in the first run off new pitcher Zoe Jennings  and scored on junior Sara Pisanelli's (Wallingford) single, and junior Sabrina LeMere (North Branford) tied the game with a sacrifice fly. With two out and the bases loaded, pinch hitter Grace Leone's (Brick, NJ) outfield fly ball was dropped, allowing all three runs to score.

Freshman Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange) had three hits and drove in runs with leadoff home runs in the fourth inning of the opener and fifth inning of the nightcap – her fourth and fifth of the year.  Sophomore Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington) and Pisanelli each had two hits and two RBI on the day. Tyrrell reached five times by adding three walks and scored three runs.

In relief, sophomore righty Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) picked up a win in the opener and a save in the nightcap. She is now 9-0 with two saves. Junior lefty Morgan Sanson (Thomaston) was credited with the win in relief in the second game with 2 1/3 hitless innings before Bolduk closed it out with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Batting second in the order, senior Meghan Gavin had four hits and scored three runs for the Wildcats and sophomore cleanup hitter Devin Scales (Mount Airy, MD) drove in three runs in the first game with a first-inning sacrifice fly and a two-out, two-run home run  in the fifth inning of the opener that propelled her team into a 4-1 lead.

LeMere was hit by a pitch in the first game and singled in the second game and has now reached base in 15 straight games.

Eastern hosts Trinity College Thursday in a non-conference doubleheader.