Box Score

WORCESTER, Mass. - The University of New Haven softball team dropped its first game of the 2011 Northeast-10 Conference Softball Championship Saturday afternoon in a rain-soaked Worcester, Mass. at the College of Holy Cross. The Chargers fell 8-0 in five innings to the third seeded Merrimack College Warriors at a game which was rescheduled and moved due to weather and field conditions. With the loss, the Chargers fall to the losers bracket of the double elimination championship and will play for a spot in the championship game(s) Sunday morning at 11 a.m.

New Haven fell to 34-16 with the loss, while Merrimack improved to 28-18 with the win.

Merrimack opened Saturday's game with a huge first inning. The Warriors scored five runs off five hits and one UNH error in the inning. Merrimack drove in three runs off a three-run homerun with one out. UNH left one runner on base in the bottom of the first, while Merrimack improved its lead to 7-0 in the top of the second inning. The Chargers then strung together a hit, an error and a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the second. A pop up with two outs ended the inning and the Chargers best chance to close in on the lead.

The Chargers were retired in the third and fourth innings. Merrimack added one more run in the top of the fourth to take an 8-0 lead.

The first two batters of the fifth inning recorded outs for the Chargers, while Chelsea Harold and Brandy Dianno tallied back-to-back hits with two outs. A fielder's choice ended the inning and the game for Merrimack.

The Chargers' three hits in the game came from Harold, Dianno and Brooke Fisher. Pitcher Micah Stonesifer suffered the loss and fell to 19-10 on the season.

Scheduling at the NE-10 Championship has been altered due to the rain and storms which passed through Worcester most of the day on Saturday. The eighth game of the tournament, featuring Adelphi University and Southern Connecticut State University, has been moved to 9 a.m. Sunday morning. That also moved the Chargers game to start at 11 a.m. now. They will take on the winner of the previous game. The team which wins the 11 a.m. game will advance to take on Merrimack College in the championship game(s) and will need to defeat the Warrriors twice to earn the conference championship and automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.