HARTFORD, Conn. – 21 years. 785 games. That is how long it took Eastern Connecticut State University Softball head coach Diana Pepin to earn her 500^th career win. Leading the Warriors (15-3) since the 2002 season, Pepin has worked her way to a .636 winning percentage during her coaching tenure, culminating in her 500^th career win after a doubleheader sweep over Trinity College 9-0 in six innings and 7-2 in game two on Wednesday night at Trinity Softball Field.
 
Transfer sophomore pitcher Alexis Michon (Montville) spun a complete game six-inning, three-hit shutout against the Bantams (5-6) in game one while aiding her team on the offensive end with a solo home run, her second of the season, in the fourth inning of the game en route to the 9-0 victory.
 
In game two, after trailing 2-0 early, senior first baseman Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange) hit her fifth home run of the season and 30^th in her career to spark the start of seven unanswered runs for Eastern in their 7-2 win, netting Pepin her 500^th career win. The home run by Matyasovsky moved her within 10 home runs of tying Arielle Cooper (40 HRs) for the most career home runs on program history.
 
Win #499: Eastern Conn. 9, Trinity 0
 
Graduate outfielder Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington) led off the third inning with a bunt single before stealing second during graduate outfielder Cassie Wood's (Mystic) at-bat. Wood's would eventually single, putting runners on the corners for junior outfielder Taylor Darby (South Windsor) to lay down a sacrifice bunt, plating Tyrrell, and giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
 
Eastern would score two more runs in the third with an RBI single by Matyasovsky and a double by senior third baseman Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) against senior right-hander Jordan Stephan, making it 3-0 after three innings.
 
A fourth inning home run by Michon followed by a five-run sixth inning by the Warrior offense helped push game one into mercy rule territory as Eastern went ahead 9-0. Sophomore second baseman Sarah Remillard (Grafton, MA) started the five-run inning with a pinch-hit RBI single before a two-RBI pinch-hit single from first-year outfielder Sophia Vilchez (Brampton, ON) extended Eastern's edge.
 
A Matyasovsky double and SanGiovanni single rounded out the scoring for the Warriors who cruised the Diana Pepin's 499^th career win on the road against the Bantams.
 
 
Win #500: Eastern Conn. 7, Trinity 2
 
Looking to play spoiler in the quest for win number 500, Trinity jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage by way of an error and groundout in the first inning against junior right-hander Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) while Bantam sophomore right-hander Tiffany Stowers held the Eastern bats in check through the first three innings of game two.
 
Brooke Matyasovsky would bring the Warrior bats to life with a home run to right field, pulling Eastern back to within one, 2-1. Julia SanGiovanni would follow up the home run with a walk and be pinch run for by first-year outfielder Maggie Baker (Hudson, MA) who stole second and eventually scored on a groundout by Alyssa Vilchez to tie it up at two.
 
A two-out error by centerfielder Scarlett Gillette on a ball hit by SanGiovanni in the fifth inning gave Eastern their first lead of the game, 4-2 as Darby who reached on a fielder's choice and Matyasovsky who reached via walk scored on the play. Cassie Woods and Darby tacked on two more runs in the sixth for the Warriors with an RBI bunt single and groundout respectively while first-year shortstop Maggie added an RBI groundout in the seventh, making it a 7-2 ballgame.
 
Alyssa Vilchez pitched five innings for Eastern, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while walking three batters and striking out none. Vilchez earned her second win of the season and third of her career.
 
In relief, senior right-hander Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) went two innings giving up no runs on two hits and striking out two batters. Bolduk has given up just two earned runs across 20 2/3 innings spanning across 6 appearances for the Warriors.
 
Reaching base safely in both games, Cassie Woods has now reached base safely in all 18 games this season for Eastern and 23 consecutive games dating back to last season. Woods has reached base safely in 45 of her 46 career games in her two-year career in a Warrior uniform.
 
Up Next
Eastern comes home for their 2022 season opener at Clyde Washburne Field on Saturday afternoon with a Little East Conference doubleheader versus 2021 LEC Tournament runner-up University of Southern Maine. First pitch for game one is slated for 1:00 PM. The Warriors swept the LEC Tournament Championship against the Huskies in Gorham, Maine and took three of the four matchups overall between the two teams last season.