Softball Secures Game Two at Emmanuel in Extras, 6-4

BOSTON – Suffolk softball needed extra time to do it, but managed to split the cross city double feature Emmanuel as the Rams took game two, 6-4, in eight-innings at Clemente Field Wednesday night.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 6 | Emmanuel 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (12-12) | Emmanuel (8-10)  

HOW IT HAPPNED
A two-out, one-run double by Abigail Farr in the bottom of the first gave Emmanuel a one-run edge. 

A lead-off moon shot by Jolie Quintana in the fifth frame tied things at 1-all. Back-to-back fielding errors by the Saints put Rams in the corners and forced Emmanuel to make a change in the circle as Madison Marks came in to twirl from Mackenzie Briggs. With one out, Catherine Carignan did her job with a long out to right that allowed Lily Gustafson to score and send the blue-and-gold ahead, 2-1.  

Emmanuel evened things up in the bottom of the sixth. Two singles put Saints on first and third. Suffolk managed to couple back-to-back outs, but a wild pitch by blue-and-gold twirler Cynthia Rucinski allowed the game-tying run to come in.  

Suffolk went down in order in the seventh and the Saints could not capitalize on a base runner after a two-out walk to force extra innings.  

With Carignan placed on second an Emmanuel error when Becky Zellin put the ball into play with one out allowed Carignan to take third. Pinch runner Ashley Hubner took Zellin's spot on first and swiped second to give Lily Newhall pair of base runners in scoring position. The sophomore struck a double to right center to clear the bags. Newhall advanced to third on a wild pitch and came in thanks to Maddie Southers single through the left side. The Saints switched up their pitcher, but another fielding mishap allowed Suthers to score to pad the blue-and-gold's advantage to four, 6-2.  

Emmanuel threatened in the home half of the inning as it managed to put to tallies on the board to slice the gap to two, 6-4. That scored stayed there as Southers gloved the final out of the day to preserve the victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Cynthia Rucinski picked up the win with a four-run (three-earned), five-hit, four-walk, nine-strikeout complete-game, 8.0-inning effort. 
• Marks took the loss after giving up four runs, one earned, on three hits and one walk with five striekouts in 3.1 innings of relief. 
• Mackenzie Briggs started and let up two runs, one earned, on three hits and one walk with two Ks in 4.0 innings. 
• MeKayla Poisson threw 0.2 frames of scoreless, hitless relief.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Quintana went 2-for-3 with one homer, one RBI and one run score. 
• Newhall put together a 2-for-3 performance with two RBI and one run scored. One of her hits was a double. 
• Carignan contributed one hit, one RBI, one run and one sac fly. 
• Southers added one hit, one RBI and one run. 
• Gustafson and Hubner both logged one run and one stolen base.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Emmanuel for the first time since March 25, 2021, an 8-3 decision. 
• The Rams moved to 46-25 all-time against the Saints. 
• Suffolk played in its first extra-inning game since April 10, 2022 when it bested the University of New England in eight-innings, 2-1. 
• The Rams Emmanuel needed extra time to decide a winner for the first time since May 6, 2018. Suffolk won that outing, 4-3, in eight innings. 
• Quintana had her first homer of the season. 
• Newhall matched a personal-best two hits and one double.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk will take the next two days off to prep for a hectic stretch of six games in three days with doubleheaders at Nichols (April 13) and the University of New England (April 15) sandwiching a home twinbill versus Gordon (April 14).