KEENE, NH – Sophomore first baseman
Alexa Boone (Middletown) and first-year catcher
Maddy Bowen (Hudson, NH) each drove in two runs with back-to-back two-out fifth-inning hits as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team came from behind to defeat Keene State College, 9-8, and sweep Tuesday afternoon's Little East Conference doubleheader at the Owl Athletic Complex.
In the first game, Eastern (16-0, 8-9 LEC) collected 15 hits – including a home run and six doubles – in support of senior righty
Carly Stoker's (Sandy Creek, NY) complete-game three-hitter en route to a 10-1, six-inning victory.
Eastern has won eight straight this year and has taken 15 of its last 16 against Keene (7-19, 3-7 LEC) in the all-time series, with the first-game victory the team's third straight mercy-rule decision over the Owls.
Two-time defending LEC regular-season champion Eastern remains three games ahead of Castleton University (12-10, 5-3 LEC), which swept visiting Plymouth State University, 3-2, 8-5 Tuesday.
In the second game, Eastern batted around and scored four runs in the fifth on four hits, a walk and hit batter to wipe out a 7-5 deficit and make a first-time winner of sophomore righty reliever
Victoria Heaphy (East Haven) with Stoker pitching the final two scoreless innings for her fifth career save. Senior righty starter
Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) was victimized by five unearned runs and was lifted when Keene scored twice in the fourth to take a 7-5 lead.
Boone drove in the first two runs of her career with a two-run double that tied the game and Bowen followed with a two-run single up the middle to push Eastern into a 9-7 lead.
Junior rightfielder
Sarah Remillard (Grafton, MA) reached three times with two singles and a walk and scored three runs. Graduate third baseman
Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) socked the 20
th home run of her career to give Eastern a 2-0 first-inning lead and later was later hit-by-pitch for the 61
st and 62
nd times in her career. Bowen was 2-for-2 with a walk and sacrifice bunt and drove in those two fifth-inning runs.
Stoker, who has appeared in 18 of the team's 24 games as either a starting pitcher or reliever, fanned seven and walked two in winning the 29
th game of her career in the opener. She also slammed the 18th home run of her career with one out in the third in support of herself.
On the day, 11 players contributed hits in the team's 24-hit attack, which included ten extra-base hits. Remillard reached six times with five hits and a walk, scored four runs and drove in two, while sophomore centerfielder
Maggie Baker (Hudson, MA) had four hits and scored twice; Heaphy reached five times with three hits (two doubles) and two walks, scored twice and drove in two runs and SanGiovanni reached five times with two hits and two hit-by-pitches, drove in three runs and scored two.
Eastern visits the U.S. Coast Guard Academy -- under the direction of former Eastern All-America Arielle Cooper -- Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader at 3 p.m. before hosting the University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday at 1 p.m. in a Little East doubleheader at Clyde Washburne Field.
