Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
DANBURY, Conn. – First-year righty Elizabeth Mitchell (Coventry) pitched her eighth and ninth consecutive complete games and won for the ninth time in her last ten decisions as the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team gained a share of first place in the Little East Conference with a 4-2, 6-2 doubleheader sweep of Western Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at Westside Field.

Mitchell (10-6), who took over the LEC lead in complete games, with 13, allowed 12 hits with nine strikeouts and two walks and was charged with only three earned runs on the day. Batting cleanup, she also drove in two runs and scored two.

Eastern's two wins, coupled with the University of Southern Maine's (16-14, 7-3 LEC) LEC split at Plymouth State University, moves the Warriors into a tie for first place in the conference with USM, both teams percentage points ahead of LEC pre-season favorite University of Massachusetts Boston (26-5-1, 7-4-1 LEC).

 Eastern (13-15, 7-3 LEC) never trailed in the doubleheader, taking the lead for good, 2-1,  in the third inning of the first game on three straight one-out singles. Mitchell's RBI single plated sophomore shortstop Kaley Laird (Bristol), who had singled with one out and moved to third on junior DP Maddy Bowen's (Hanover, NH) single.

In the second game, the Warriors led 3-0 after their first two at-bats, and after the Wolves (18-14, 6-6 LEC) got two back in the second on three hits (two doubles), Mitchell shut the door the rest of the way, retiring the final 15 hitters in order. She finished with a five-hitter with four strikeouts and no walks.

Leading 4-2 in the second game, Eastern added two insurance runs in the seventh on two hits and a walk. Maddy Bowen's second RBI of the game (a double) plated senior leadoff hitter Maddi Sauve (Mansfield), and pinch runner Taylor Lathrop (Enfield) later came around to score on pinch hitter Jordan Bennett's (Plainville) single and a ground ball.

On the afternoon, Eastern committed only one error to improve its season fielding percentage to .963 (tied for second-best in the conference). Sauve had four hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. Laird had three hits and scored two runs while Mitchell reached four times with a hit and three walks , scored twice and drove in two runs and remained perfect in the field this year on 44 chances.
 
Since returning from Florida, Mitchell is 9-2 with a 1.57 ERA, nine complete games in ten starts and 39 strikeouts against 13 walks in 74 1/3 innings. In addition to leading the LEC in complete games, she's second in innings (107) and wins. She has been named LEC Rookie-of-the-Week the last two weeks and also the LEC Pitcher-of-the-Week on Monday.

Eastern hosts Plymouth State in an LEC doubleheader on a date and time to be announced.