BOX SCORE NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven softball team fell 3-2 in a nine-inning opening game with Southern Connecticut State University Wednesday afternoon. The two teams are also tied 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning of a halted game due to darkness.

New Haven dropped to 10-5 with the loss and 0-1 in the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division with the loss. The Owls improved to 12-8 overall and 1-0 in NE-10 SW Division play.

Game One
The Chargers and Owls went back-and-forth in the opening game of the doubleheader. The Chargers were on the board first in the top of the fourth inning. Christina Gelardi (Derby, Conn./Derby) opened the inning with a double through the left side and Keri Tricinelli (Brick, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) drove in the go-ahead run with a single to right field. 

The Owls answered in the bottom of the fifth inning with two unearned runs. SCSU scored off an infield single and a wild pitch to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth. New Haven didn't trail for long, as it answered in the top of the sixth inning. Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) drove in Meghan Chamoff (Roslyn Heights, N.Y./Herricks) with a double down the right field line, evening the score at 2-2.

The game remained tied 2-2 until the the ninth inning. The Owls stranded a runner on base in the bottom of the seventh, after New Haven turned a double play to end the inning. Both teams also left two runners on base in the eighth inning, while the Chargers left one on base in the top of the ninth.

Southern Connecticut State's game-winning run came int he bottom of the ninth with a one-out RBI single to to right center.

New haven's Micah Stonesifer (Archer City, Texas/Archer City / Vernon College) suffered the loss in the complete game. She allowed just one earned run off 11 hits and two walks.

At the plate, Fisher and Tricinelli drove in runs and Gelardi and Chamoff scored runs.

Game Two
Much like the opening game of the doubleheader, the nightcap was back-and-forth as well. The Chargers opened with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) hit a single to right field and drove in both Gelardi and Jen Palase (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) to give UNH an early 2-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the second, the Owls answered with three runs off three hits to take a 3-2 lead. New haven evened the score one inning later with a Tricinelli single up the middle. Gelardi scored the Chargers third and tying run.

The knotted game swung once again in favor of Southern Connecticut State in the bottom of the third inning. The Owls used one hit and two UNH errors to score two more runs and take a 5-3 lead. 

After a scoreless fourth, the game was tied at 5-5 again in the top of the fifth inning. Spivey drove in another two runs with a double to right field. Lindsey Couturier (Dighton, Mass./Dighton Rehoboth Regional) and Gelardi both scored to eliminate the Chargers' deficit once again. 

Chamoff gave New Haven the lead once again in the top of the sixth inning. She reached with a single to right field and advanced to second with a sacrifice bunt by Brandy Dianno (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy). The junior then stole third base and advanced home with an overthrown ball in the pickoff attempt. SCSU immediately answered in the bottom of the sixth with one run off one hit, evening the score at 6-6.

Gelardi was on base for the fourth time of the game in the top of the seventh when the umpires halted the game due to darkness. The game will resume at a later date/time to be announced.

Brittany Scott (Buena, N.J./Buena Regional) threw two innings for UNH and allowed three earned runs and three hits. Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) pitched the final four innings for the Chargers and is currently the pitcher of record. Spivey is 2-for-3 with four RBI in the game.

Stay posted to NewHavenChargers.com for complete information on when the game will be resumed.

New Haven returns to action Friday, March 29 when American International College travels to West Haven for another NE-10 Southwest Divisional matchup. Game time at the UHN Softball Field is set for 3:00 p.m.