Softball Surprises Endicott in Game 1, 4-2

BEVERLY, Mass. – Suffolk softball stunned Endicott, 4-2, in the opener of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader Saturday at the Gulls Softball Complex.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 4 | Endicott 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (16-19, 6-7 CCC) | Endicott (20-10, 11-2 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk started scoring in the first frame. Jolie Quintana led off the game with a single to short and Catherine Carignan doubled to left center to put Rams on second and third. Maddie Southers loud out to left plated Quintana before Becky Zellin collected one RBI on a double to left field. Julia Mills brought Zellin around on a single to right center to give the blue-and-gold a 3-0 edge.  

Endicott got one run back in the bottom of the first behind two hits and a Rams error to slice the margin to two, 3-1. 

The three-run gap was restored in the second. With one out, Lily Gustafson worked a walk and put her running shoes on for Quintana's double down the left field line to push Suffolk in front, 4-1.  

Lily Newhall limited Gulls base runners to keep the lead in the blue-and-gold's favor. 

Endicott had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of the fifth as the hosts chucked the bags with back-to-back base hits and a two-out walk. Mills combined forces with Bella Rocha-Medeiros at first for a routine 43 ground out to keep things at 4-1 Suffolk through five.  

A scoreless, shutdown sixth set-up an edge-of-your-seat finish. A fielding mishap by Suffolk's shortstop Gustafson and a one-out down by Chloe Shapleigh put Gulls on second and third. A productive ground out by Elyse Saccoccio allowed one run to come in. Thankfully, Newhall fanned Hadley Marchand swinging to lock up the victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Newhall notched a two-run, both unearned, -six-hit, two-walk, four-strikeout complete-game effort. 
• Jaylin Couto took the loss after giving up four runs on nine hits and one walk with eight punchouts.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Quintana went 3-for-4 with one double, one RBI and one run scored. 
• Carginan logged a 2-for-4 effort with one double and one run. 
• Zellin produced one hit, a double, one RBI and one run. 
• Mills notched one hit and one RBI. 
• Southers added one RBI on a sac fly. 
• Ella Turnbull and Rocha-Medeiros chipped in one hit each. 
• Gustafson scored one run and walked once. 

NOTEWORTHY

• The Rams snapped a three-game skid against Endicott. 
• The blue-and-gold defeated Endicott for the first time since April 24, 2022, a 6-5 decision. 
• Suffolk moved to 7-14 all-time against the Gulls. 
• Six of the Rams' seven victory over Endicott have come when playing in Beverly, Massachusetts. 
• Suffolk is now 6-10 on the road versus the Gulls. 
• Quintana matched a career-high three hits.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Rams conclude the double feature at Endicott this afternoon.