Box Score (vs. St. Joseph's)
Box Score (vs. Seton Hill)

MINNEOLA, Fla. - The University of New Haven softball team opened its 2011 season on Saturday with a pair of victories in Florida at the NTC Spring Games. The Chargers defeated Saint Joseph's College 6-1 in their first game, while defeating Seton Hill University 8-0 (6 innings) in their nightcap.

Game One
In its first inning of the season, New Haven came out on fire as they scored three runs in the top of the first inning Saturday. Freshman Brooke Fisher drove in two runs with a double in the top of the inning. Shannon Angehr then drove another double which drove in Fisher and game the Chargers a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, the Puma's scored one run on two hits and left two runners on base.

New Haven added another three runs in the top of the second inning to open an early 6-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Christina Gelardi hit a single and drove in two of the runs. Two batters later, Lindsey Couturier hit another single and drove in the Chargers final run of the game.

For the final five innings, both teams struggled to get base runners. The Chargers left three runners on base in the final five innings, while St. Joseph's had just one runner left on base.

UNH pitcher Alana Wesche pitched the complete game and recorded her first win. She allowed one earned run and struck out four in seven innings.

Gelardi and Fisher led the Chargers' bats with two hits and two RBI's each. Chelsea Harold added two hits and two runs scored in the season opener.

Game Two
In their second game of the season, the Chargers once again scored three runs in the top of the first inning. Couturier hit a two-out single which drove in a pair of runs to open scoring for UNH. After an error advanced Couturier to third base, Allison Vaughn drove in her first run of the season with a single. New Haven tallied three hits and left one runner on base in the first inning. The Chargers retired the side in the bottom of the first inning to maintain a 3-0 lead.

New Haven improved its lead in the second inning with one hit and one run. Angehr hit a double and drove in Chelsea Harold with a pair of outs. Junior pitcher Micah Stonesifer threw three strikeouts in the bottom half of the inning and kept Seton Hill scoreless. In the third inning, the Chargers were retired in order, while Seton Hill nearly got on the board in the bottom of the third. Seton Hill's opening batter hit a triple to lead off. After a strikeout, Seton Hill attempted to lay down a bunt and steal home, but the Chargers were ready. Third baseman Clouturier found catcher Vaughn for the tag at home plate, keeping the shutout alive.

Three more hits gave the Chargers three more runs in the top of the fourth inning. New Haven took a commanding 7-0 lead and again retired the side in the bottom of the fourth. The fifth inning saw just one hit for the two teams, but no runs were scored. In the sixth and final inning, three of the Chargers first four batters got on base for Angehr. The junior then drove in one run with a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Chargers an 8-0 lead. The first three batters were retired in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Chargers grabbed their second victory of the season.

Angehr led New Haven with two hits, three RBI's and one run in the win. Harold went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI, while Courtney Garland went 2-for-3 with two runs. Stonesifer earned her first win at shutout at UNH. She hurled seven strikeouts and allowed just two hits in the win.

The Chargers return to action on Sunday, March 13 against Seton Hill at 9:30 a.m. UNH will also take on New York Institute of Technology tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. as part of the NTC Spring Games.