Jacob’s Twirling Not Enough, Softball Falls to WNE in Game One, 4-3

EAST BOSTON – Jenny Jacob gave it all she had in from the rubber, highlighted by 14 strikeouts, but it would be enough as Western New England rallied around errors later to take down Suffolk softball, 4-3, in game one of a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) double feature at East Boston Memorial Park Wednesday afternoon. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Western New England 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (14-7, 5-2 CCC) | Western New England (16-8, 6-1 CCC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Caitlin Murphy opened the game with a single to center, swiped second and took third thanks to Bianca Luciano's perfectly placed bunt. Luciano's sacrifice set up Jolie Quintana's RBI on a sacrifice of her own with a long out to center field. Thanks to a pair of sacrifice hits the host took a 1-0 early edge.  

Suffolk tacked on two more runs two innings later. Rebecca Zellin and Luciano sandwiched singles around a Golden Bears error on Murphy's at bat that chucked the bases. Quintana was in driver's seat once again and the second baseman barreled a single to left to bring two Rams around. 

Western New England broke onto the board in the top of the first. Back-to-back base hits and a wild pitch later Jacob and the blue-and-gold's defense faced runners on second and third. Lizzie Weston connected and sent a dribbler down the third base line that was jut out of Ally Cifaratta's grasp. Weston's single scored one run to bring the visitors within two with no outs.  

Jacob went to work from there. She struck out Cori Rizzo, however, a passed by Suffolk's backstop Ira Boci allowed Rizzio to reach and put all the ducks in the pond. The junior right-handed twirler would strike out the side from there to limit the Golden Bears damage to one.  

The Rams' advantage was taken down a notch again in the top of the fifth. A bobble by Suffolk's shortstop Lily Gustafson let Kaleigh Blades take first and an unassisted ground out to first pushed her over. An out and walk later, another mishap from the home field not only put the runner on base, but allowed Blades to score to cut the deficit to one, 3-2.  

The Golden Bears carried their comeback into the sixth. With two outs and runners on second and third, Dina DiBlasio rocked a single to center brought the tying run in. Murphy misplayed the ball, which allowed the go-ahead tally to tick onto the board and for the first time on the day Suffolk trailed, 4-3. 

Jacob's handled things from the circle in the seventh as the junior fanned the three outs to keep the gap at one.  

Despite pinch hitter Rachel Doan working a walk, the next three Rams went down in order to put the walk-off win to rest. 

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Jacob registered 14 strikeouts in the complete-game effort. She allowed just two earned runs on six hits and three walks in the setback. 
• Ava Blanchard picked up the decision behind a three-run (two-earned), six-hit, one-walk, 10-strikeout, complete-game outing.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Quintana went 2-for-2 at the dish and was responsible for all three of the Suffolk's RBI. 
• Cifaratta chipped in one hit, a double. 
• Murphy scored twice and Haley Oteri scored once. 
• Murphy, Luciano and Zellin each added one hit. 
• Luciano and Alexa White laid down a sac bunt, while Quintana supplied a sac fly. 
• Murphy and Cifaratta swiped one bag apiece.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk renewed a rivalry with Western New England, meeting the Golden Bears for the first time since 2019. 
• Jacob sat down a career-high 14 batters. 
• The 14 strikeouts are the most by a Suffolk pitcher since Sarah Chasse sat down 14 in a 3-1 win at Norwich, April 15, 2012. 
• Quintana matched a career-high three RBI. 
• Zellin had produced a hit in her last two plate appearances.  

POST-GAME PIC
 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk wraps up the conference twinbill with the Golden Bears tonight.