MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY) had five hits and won the second game with 4 1/3 innings of one-run relief for her 25^th career pitching win as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team opened its home season with 7-1, 7-6 victories over Springfield College Wednesday evening at Clyde Washburne Field.
 
Stoker was 3-for-3 with a double and triple and drove in three runs as Eastern scored at least one run in each of its first five at-bats in winning the opener, then countered Springfield's (9-3) six-run third inning with five of its own in the bottom of the inning. Eastern took the lead for good in the fourth when Stoker singled and scored the tie-breaking run on sophomore Victoria Heaphy's (East Haven) two-out, two-run single which also plated senior third baseman Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven), who reached on a fielder's choice.
 
Heaphy started the second game for Eastern (7-5) but was lifted in favor of Stoker (4-0) while Springfield was scoring its six runs in the third inning.  Heaphy remained in the game and reached base three times. She walked in the first inning, singled and scored the fourth run of the third inning, and contributed her second and third RBI of the season that put the Warriors ahead in the fourth with her two-run opposite field single to right.
 
Springfield sent 11 players to the plate in scoring its six third-inning runs in the second game on seven hits (all singles and a walk, with Michaela Ponticello and No. 9 hitter Dana Serricchio both driving in two runs. The Warriors answered quickly in the bottom of the inning with five runs on five hits and an infield error. First-year shortstop Emma Marelli (Waterford) opened the inning with a triple to center and Gruca later sent in the final two runs of the inning with a single.
 
In the first game, senior lefty Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) and Stoker combined to strand 13 Springfield baserunners and strand 13 Springfield baserunners and Eastern scored twice in the first inning off losing pitcher Amelia DeRosa (4-1) on a wild pitch and Stoker's RBI single with two out, made it 3-0 in the second when first-year sophomore first baseman Ally Gruca (Lancaster, MA)  singled through the right side, was sacrificed to second by first-year catcher Maddy Bowen (Hudson, NH) and scored on sophomore centerfielder and No. 9 hitter Maggie Baker's (Hudson, MA) single to left.
 
Vilchez (3-2) allowed eight hits and walked five and gave up a run in pitching the first six innings of the opener.
 
In the doubleheader, Stoker was 5-for-6 with a double, triple, three RBI and three runs scored. Marelli had four hits and scored a run and handled eight chances without an error in the field. Gruca added three hits and two RBI and SanGiovanni, Heaphy and junior rightfielder Sarah Remillard (Grafton) all had two of Eastern's 21 hits on the evening. SanGiovanni also had two sacrifice flies and was hit by a pitch for the 57^th and 58^th time in her career.
 
Eastern visits WPI Sunday for a 1 p.m. non-conference doubleheader in a meeting between two teams which competed in last year's NCAA Division III national tournament. The games were originally schedule to be played Saturday.