Softball Wins Game 1 at WNE, 7-2

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Suffolk softball lifted the lid on its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) calendar in the win column as it hit past Western New England, 7-2, Saturday at the Golden Bears Softball Park. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 7 | Western New England 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (8-9, 1-0 CCC) | Western New England (6-6, 0-1 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Ella Turnbulls's two-run jack in the second sent the Rams up 2-0 early on. 

In the Rams next turn at the plate they doubled the distance. Lily Gustafson led off with a double to center and coasted in on Julia Mills' base hit. The freshman took second thanks to an error on the Golden Bears right fielder Shea McDaniel on the play and moved into prime scoring position on Becky Zellin's ground out. Catherine Carignan sacrificed herself and brought Mills in to make it a 4-0 Suffolk game.  

Western New England sliced Suffolk's lead in half in the top of the fifth behind three hits and one Rams error. Kaleigh Blades tripled down the right field line and scored on Taylor Keegan's single up the middle. Fielder choices sandwiched a single to put a pair of outs on the board, but a fielding mishap by Carignan in left field allowed Kailey Carrano to come in and make it a 4-2 game.  

Suffolk got those two runs back in the home half of the inning. With runners on second and third, Delaney Doidge singled through the left side to bring in Ashley Hubner, who pinch ran for Zellin after the junior singled. An error on WNE's pitcher Riley Kane during Ava Brandow's at bat allowed Carignan to come in and regain a four-run margin, 6-2. Carignan reached base safely on a fielder's choice. 

The Rams extended its advantage to five in the bottom of the sixth. Maddie Southers worked a walk to get the frame underway, took second thanks to Gustafson's single to center and scored on Mills' single up the middle to turn it into a 7-2 game.  

Lily Newhall retired the side to lock up the conference victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Newhall earned the decision in the circle. She put together a two-run (one-earned), nine-hit, one-walk, one-strikeout effort over 7.0 innings.
• Riley Kane took the loss after giving up seven runs, five earned, on nine hits and four walks with three strikeouts to her credit. 
• Shelby Parr shoved 0.2 innings of scoreless work with one K.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Mills went 3-for-3 with two RBI, one run and one walk. 
• Gustafson supplied a 2-for-3 effort that featured one double to go along with one run and one walk. 
• Turnbull brought in two runs on one hit, a homer, and scored one run. 
• Carignan brought in one run on a sac fly and scored one run. 
• Southers added one hit, one run and one walk. 
• Doidge chipped in one hit and one RBI.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk is now 3-1 in CCC debuts. 
• The Rams won their CCC opener for the first time since 2022. 
• Suffolk lifted the lid on its CCC calendar on the road for the first time since 2022. 
• The Rams are unbeaten in the first CCC game of a schedule when playing on the road.
• The blue-and-gold faced WNE in its CCC debut of the first time. 
• Suffolk defeated Western New England for the first time since April 30, 2019. 
• The Rams win over the Golden Bears snapped a five-game skid int eh series for the blue-and-gold. 
• Suffolk improved to 6-24 all-time against Western New England. 
• The victory in Springfield, Massachusetts is Suffolk's first since April 29, 2006, a 2-1 decision. 
• The seven runs scored against the Golden Bears is the most since Suffolk put up 11 in an 18-11 loss April 7, 2007. 
• The five-run margin of victory is the largest for the blue-and-gold since winning by five runs, March 25, 2000 in a 9-4 decision. 
• Turnbull had the first homer of her collegiate career.  
• Mills matched a career-high three hits and matched a personal-best two RBI.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk goes for the sweep of WNE this afternoon.