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MANSFIELD, Conn. – A day/night doubleheader which produced zero victories against the University of Hartford was still able to generate plenty of memorable moments.
In 6-5, 10-8 losses to the Hawks (19-6-1) in non-conference play Wednesday at Clyde Washburne Field, Eastern (12-11-1) erased an early three-run deficit to tie the opener, then put together a comeback for the ages by scoring six runs with two out during a seven-run seventh that tied the game at eight-all and forced extra innings.
- In the seventh inning of the second game, the Warriors batted around to push across their game-tying seven runs, getting back-to-back two-out, two-run doubles from junior Maggie Rubeck (Easthampton, MA) and first-year Taylor Lathrop (Enfield) (the latter recording her first career hit and first career RBIs). No 9 hitter Maggie Baker (Hudson, MA) made it 8-7 with a single through the left side that plated Lathrop and infield and outfield errors on the same play on a ball hit to shortstop by sophomore Emma Marelli (Waterford) sent Baker home with the tying run and allowed Marelli to reach third with the winning run before an outfield fly ball forced extra innings.
- Graduate third baseman Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) enjoyed two historic career milestones. She became only the fourth player in program history to reach 200 hits in the first game, and was hit by a pitch for an NCAA Division III record 81st time that forced in the first run of the seven-run seventh inning of the second game. Needing two hits for 200, SanGiovanni – one of the top power threats in program history – reached on a bunt single/suicide squeeze in a two-run third inning in the first game for 199 -- then blasted her 27th career home run (fourth all-time) on the first pitch she saw from Alex Hassett two innings later for her 200th hit that cut Hartford's lead to 6-5. SanGiovanni's HBP that drove in a run in the seventh inning of the second game moved her to within eight of breaking the Eastern career record of 157.
- Senior outfielder Sarah Remillard (Grafton, MA) became the 51st player in program history to reach 100 career hits when she singled in the third inning of the first game, stole second and later scored the tying run on graduate pitcher Alyssa Vilchez' (Brampton, ON) triple through the right-centerfield gap. Remillard drove a 1-2 pitch into center field off Hartford starter Carly Mayhood for No. 100.
- Senior righty pitcher Emma Sands (Danbury) made a case as the team's No. 2 pitcher behind Vilchez with the most effective outing of her career in the second game. Having allowed ten earned runs in 4 2/3 innings this year heading into the day, Sands started the fourth inning of the second game with Eastern trailing 6-0 and allowed only two runs on two hits with four strikeouts in four innings before departing in favor of Vilchez after the Warriors had tied the game during their seventh-run seventh inning. Before being lifted, Sands struck out the side in the top of the seventh, getting back-to-back pinch hitters on called strikes and an inning-ending swinging strikeout.
- Lathrop's first career hit was a double in the seventh inning of the nightcap that came on a 3-2 pitch and drove in SanGiovanni (after her HBP) and Rubeck to make it 8-6. Lathrop had made her first career start in the first game, batting sixth in the order as the designated player. She was hitless in three official at-bats but contributed to the team's first run of the game in the second inning with a sacrifice bunt that eventually helped first-year pinch runner Julia Boya (Coventry) score from second on junior second baseman Maddi Sauve's (Mansfield) RBI single that made it 3-1.
- Sophomore catcher Abby Thompson (Westborough, MA) started the second game and had the first hit of her two-year career. With two out in the second inning and the team trailing 3-0, she singled to center on a full count, but after moving to second on Baker's single to left, Thompson was thrown out attempting to steal third to end the inning.
- In absorbing both losses, Vilchez (9-6) pitched a complete-game eight-hitter in the first game and returned to pitch the eighth inning of the second game after the Warriors had tied the game in the seventh. With a runner starting on second base in the eighth, Vilchez got two quick outs but the Hawks scored twice on back-to-back hits.
- Hartford's Mayhood entered the game with a 1.99 ERA but was roughed up in the first game for eight hits and four runs in four innings, but was credited with the win when her team broke a 4-4 tie with two unearned runs in the top of the fifth on an inning-opening infield error, two singles and a sacrifice fly.
- Vilchez, who needs one-third of an inning to reach 100 innings pitched for the second straight year, improved her team-leading batting average to .423 with five hits (including a double and triple). Marelli had four hits (two doubles) and improved her fielding average to .990 by handling eight chances without an error. SanGiovanni reached five times with her two hits, two walks and HBP, and Ruback had three hits.
Eastern plays eight straight Little East Conference games beginning Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at VTSU Castleton.
