(04-12-08)
Box Score - Game One / Box Score - Game Two
WEST HAVEN, Conn. -- Three runs batted in by Meghan Walter (photo) and Breanne Gleason along with a Meg Brown two-run home run allowed the University of New Haven softball team to sweep Queens College in an ECC doubleheader on Saturday. The Chargers posted two shut-outs winning the opener 6-0 and the second game, 4-0.
With the wins, UNH has now won four in a row and improves to 14-14 overall and 6-6 in the conference, while Queens falls to 11-21, 5-6.
GAME ONE - UNH 6, QUEENS 0
The Chargers scored in the first three innings to build a 6-0 lead and pitchers Meg Brown and Hannah Everson kept the Knights off the board to record the opening victory. Brown went four innings striking out eight batters, allowing only one hit in picking up the win. Everson came into the game in relief and pitched three solid innings to preserve the shutout.
UNH started fast plating three runs in the bottom of the first for the early advantage. Walter lead off the game in a single up the middle. After a strikeout, Nicole Downs single to left center advancing Walter to second. A fly out by Jordanna Borska to deep left, allowed both runners to advance. With Brown at the plate, Walter scored on a past ball to open up the scoring. Brown followed that with a shot over the fence in left field to push the lead to 3-0.
The Chargers added two more runs in the second as Sam Minervini lead the inning off with a single to center. With two outs, Walter doubled to left center advancing Minervini to third. Gleason then hit a double to left to plate both runners and push the UNH lead to 5-0.
Brown had her second hit of the game in the bottom of the third, a double to center field. Jessica Medina drove in Brown with a single to left to finish the scoring for the Chargers at 6-0.
Bryttne Nelson went the distance for Queens taking the loss and only Katie Karpinski got a hit off Brown as she improved to 7-5 in the circle.
GAME TWO - UNH 4, QUEENS 0
In game two the Chargers once again struck early in the contest to give their pitcher a lead as Breanne Gleason tossed a three hit shutout and struck out six to pick up the win.
Brown lead off the bottom of the second with an infield single to shortstop and advanced to second on a passed ball. Medina followed with another infield single to short to put runners at first and second. After a pop out, Denise Castelli singled to first base as she avoided the tag to load the bases with one out for the Chargers.
A fielder's choice play from third to home had the Knights thinking about getting out of the inning with bases loaded and two outs. Walter then stepped into the box and belted the ball down the right field line to clear the bases with a three RBI triple giving UNH the 3-0 lead. Gleason followed suite and hit a double to left center to score Walter and push the lead to four.
After the four run outburst in the bottom of the second inning neither team could get any offense going the rest of the way as the pitchers found their groove. Victoria Coan came in to relieve Queens starter Christy Sanders in the fifth and allowed only three Chargers to reach base as she kept the Knights in the game.
Queens attempted a two-out comeback in the top of the seventh after Katie Miracco doubled to left field. But Gleason induced a pop up from the next batter to end the game.
Notes: Downs had a good day at the dish going 4 of 7 and scoring a run, pushing her batting average to a team-leading .348 ... Gleason's three RBI's pushed her total to team-best 21 ... Both Brown and Gleason are moving up the all-time strikeout list at UNH, Brown has 348 strikeouts good for fifth and Gleason is right behind in sixth with 332 .
The Chargers will be back in action on Tuesday, April 15 at 3:30 p.m. when they will host ECC foe Molloy College for an afternoon doubleheader at North Campus.
