Softball Splits NEC Doubleheader at Wagner

The Central Connecticut softball team split a doubleheader at Wagner on Monday afternoon. The Blue Devils took the first game 6-2 before dropping a wild second game in extra innings, 8-7. Sophomore Jordan Tingley got the decision in both games. Senior Amanda Dilworth had four hits on the afternoon for the Blue Devils. The split puts the Blue Devils record at 20-15-1 on the season and 7-5 in Northeast Conference action.

Game One

The Blue Devils struck first in game one with a pair of runs in the top of the second. With one out senior Erica Koehler walked and then sophomore Macy Stefanski singled threw the left side. Both runners advanced a base on an illegal pitch and then were singled home by senior Kendall Sours.

The Seahwaks threatened in the bottom of the second, but Tingley worked out of a second and third one out jam without giving up a run. However, Wagner was able to get on the board in the bottom of the third with a single run off of a pair of hits.

Central answered, as sophomore Kate Hoffman delivered a two out pinch hit double in the top of the fourth. Hoffman's double scored senior Kat Knowles who had reached on an error leading off the inning.

Two out hits by Dilworth, freshman Tessa Brown and Koehler, along with a costly error by the Wagner third baseman, allowed the Blue Devils to tack on a pair of runs in the fifth inning.

Wagner chipped away at the lead in the fifth, but the Blue Devils added another run in the sixth thanks to another Wagner error and an RBI single by junior Rebecca Mussatti.

Tingley earned the victory to improve to 8-7 on the season. She pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits.

Dilworth, Stefanski and Sours all had multi-hit games for the Blue Devils, who totaled 11 as a team.

Game Two

Tingley, who pitched game one for the Blue Devils, threw a pair of shutout innings in relief, but in the ninth inning the Seahawks broke a 7-7 tie with three singles for the walk-off victory. The run against Tingley was unearned because of a Central error. Both the Blue Devils and Seahawks each made four errors in the game.

Central got on the board first when Koehler singled home a run in the top of the first inning. Stefanski then reached on an error forcing in another run and giving the Blue Devils an early 2-0 lead.

A walk and an error allowed the Seahawks to tie the score at 2-2 with only a pair of hits in the second inning.

Senior Elizabeth Montemurro allowed a single to lead off the bottom of the third, before being replaced by freshman Julie Marks. Marks allowed the inherited runner to score and a runner of her own as Wagner took a 4-2 lead.

Both teams added single runs in the fourth inning, and neither team scored in the fifth inning.

The Blue Devils tied the score at 5-5 on the sixth inning as Dilworth delivered a two run double to right center. Sours, who had singled earlier in the inning, and Bruno scored.

Marks surrendered a two run single in the bottom half of the inning giving the lead back to the Seahawks.

The Blue Devils used a pair of Wagner errors to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning. Tingley entered the game in the bottom half of the inning and kept the Seahawks off the scoreboard into the ninth inning.

The loss drops Tingley to 8-8 on the season. Brown had three hits in the game and Dilworth added a pair of RBIs.

The Blue Devils return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Siena for a doubleheader.