SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Transfer pitchers Alexis Michon (Montville) and Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY) combined on a six-hitter and senior third baseman Julia Sangiovanni (East Haven) hit her third home run of the season to drive in three runs in the top of the third inning and power the No. 9-nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University softball team to 4-0 non-conference win over Springfield College in the first game of a doubleheader split Friday afternoon at Potter Field.
 
Michon and Stoker (3-1) combined on the team's sixth shutout in the last eight games in the opener and SanGiovanni moved into a tie for sixth place all-time with her 13^th career home run off Springfield (9-3) senior ace Gillian Kane (5-1) in the the team's ninth straight win that came in Springfield's home-opener.
 
In the second game, Eastern (13-3) scored twice in the top of the seventh to take its first lead but the game was called due to darkness while the Warriors were batting and Springfield was credited with the 3-2 six-inning win when the game reverted back to the last full inning.

Eastern Conn. 4, Springfield 0

A senior, Stoker improved to 20-2 in two years at Eastern after transferring from Division I Central Connecticut after taking over for Michon with two runners aboard and Eastern leading, 3-0. She pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings the rest of the way, giving up three hits and walking one while fanning one. Michon pitched into the fourth, allowing three hits and a walk while fanning four and hitting two batters. She is 6-1 with a 1.69 ERA in nine appearances this year after gaining Little East Conference Rookie-of-the-Year honors last year at Plymouth State University.
 
Kane was 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA and three complete games and two shutouts in five starts entering play. Senior All-America first baseman Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange) tagged her for her 32^nd career double in the first and junior second baseman Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) singled in the second before SanGiovanni launched a three-run home run – her third of the year – to left on the first pitch she saw from Kane in the third to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. Sophomore leftfielder Taylor Darby (South Windsor) got the inning going with a one-out double and Matyasovsky walked to set up SanGiovanni's blast.
 
 Springfield 3, Eastern Conn. 2 (6 inn.)

Springfield snapped a 2-2 tie with an unearned run that proved to be the game-winner on a leadoff opposite-field single by senior No. 9 hitter Ava Fernandez down the right field line, a throwing error on a bunt single and an infield ground ball.
 
Eastern scored both of its runs in the first inning on three hits in sending eight batters to the plate against Springfield sophomore Ashley Pugliese (3-2), who recovered, however, to pitch the final five scoreless innings allowing only three more hits.
 
Matyasovsky and senior DP Laura Zenk (Hermon, ME) drove in the two first-inning runs with a single and walk, respectively, but Eastern left the bases loaded when Pugliese induced a pair of inning-ending ground balls.
 
Springfield tied the game in the bottom of the inning before an out was made on an RBI double by Alli Olsen and run-scoring single from Sam Witmer. Eastern senior All-America Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) got an inning-ending around-the-horn double play started by SanGiovanni at third, however, to keep the game tied at that point.
 
Bolduk pitched into the sixth inning, getting the first two outs before being lifted after giving up a double. Vilchez came on to walk two but got a ground ball to first-year shortstop Maggie Rubeck (East Hampton, MA) to keep the deficit at one run. Bolduk gave up six hits without a walk and struck out one.
 
Pugliese gave up six hits and walked six in the route-going effort but the Warriors struck out five times and stranded ten runners. Matyasovsky was the only Eastern player with more than one hit, collecting two and has now reached safely in the last 11 games.  

Streaks Extended

Graduate All-America centerfielder Cassie Woods (Mystic) reached safely in both games and has now reached in all 16 games this year. Woods, who tied the Eastern season record for batting average last year, walked in the seventh inning of the first game and reached three times with two walks and a single in the nightcap (she also reached on an error in the second inning). Vilchez extended her hitting streak to nine (the longest by an Eastern player this year) by singling in the second inning of the opener and in the first inning of the nightcap.
 
Up Next

Eastern visits Trinity College Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader at 3 p.m. A sweep gives 21^st-year Eastern head coach Diana Pepin (498-285-2) her 500^th career victory. The Bantams (5-3) are wrapping  up a nine-game season-opening set in Clermont, FL Friday against Gustavus Adolphus College. The Bantams are under the direction of third-year head coach Molly Rathbun, a four-time All-America at Eastern between 2009 and 2012.