Softball Splits Beantown Doubleheader at UMass Boston

BOSTON – Suffolk softball overcame an 11-7 game one setback to UMass Boston with a decisive 12-1 nightcap victory over the Beacons to secure a non-conference twinbill split in the Boston battle at UMB Softball Field Tuesday.  

THE BASICS
GAME 1 SCORE: Suffolk 7 | UMass Boston 11
GAME 2 SCORE: Suffolk 12 | UMass Boston 1
RECORDS: Suffolk (16-12) | UMass Boston (17-13)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk trailed 7-0 after three innings in the first. A sixth-run fourth from the Rams made things interesting. That rally featured RBIs from Ira Boci, Ashley King, Caitlin Murphy and a handful of Beacons errors.  

Two innings later, UMB retired a multi-run margin, 11-6. 

In the seventh, Ava Brandow kept a Suffolk comeback alive as she led off with a double to left field. Pinch hitter Rebecca Zellin barreled a single up the middle to advance Brandow to third, who tagged up on Ally Cifaratta's long out to left to pull the blue-and-gold within four where the score stood after two fly outs put the final two outs on the board. 

To start the second, Suffolk gained a one-run early thanks to a Beacons error.  

The twirling of Jenny Jacob kept the one-run edge in favor of the visitors. The Rams ran up the tally to 7-0 after scoring three in both the fourth and fifth, respectively. The runs in the fourth came behind Zellin's three-run shot to right center. In the fifth, Savannah Scripter and King each collected an RBI on a base hit, while notched a RBI on a sac fly.  

UMass eliminated the shutout in the fifth before the Rams put an exclamation point on the win with a five-run seventh for the 12-1 final.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Brandow slipped in game one after giving up four runs, three earned, on three hits and one walk in just 0.1 inning of action. 
• Ella Turnbull (1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K) and Ashlyn Conley (4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 K) came out of the pen for the Rams. 
• Jacob tossed a complete-game in the nightcap. She let up just one run, unearned, on four hits, two walks with seven punchouts. 
• Hayle Catania (7.0 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) threw the opener for the Beacons. 
• Meghan Adams (4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 ER) started game two for UMass Boston with Emily Doble (3.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 K) seeing action as well.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Zellin went 2-for-4 in game two with one double and one homer with three RBI and two runs scored. In the opener she went 1-for-1 as a pinch hitter. 
• Scripter supplied three hits and one RBI in the double feature. 
• Murphy notched three hits, one RBI, one run scored and one stolen base. 
• Cifarata contributed three hits, including a double, two runs scored and one RBI. 
• Brandow registered three hits, including two doubles, and two runs. 
• Gustafson tallied three hits and two runs.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk moved to 8-15 all-time against UMass Boston.
• Zellin produced a personal-best in hits (2), RBI (3) and runs scored (2). 
• Zellin knocked her first collegiate dinger. 
• King tied a career-high two hits and notched a personal-best two RBI. 
• Boci matched a personal-best two hits and set a new career-high in RBI with two. 
• Gustafson pushed her hit streak to four games. In that span she has seven hits. 
• Gustafson scored a career-high two runs. 
• Brandow and Cifaratta each extended their hit streak to six games. 
• Brandow registered a career-high two doubles. 
• Murphy stretched her hit streak to eight games. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is set to entertain Emmanuel in a doubleheader at Clemente Field tomorrow, Wednesday, April 20 at 5 p.m.