BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 WEST HAVEN, Conn. - University of New Haven freshman pitcher Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) earned a complete game victory and a save in the softball team's sweep of Pace University Wednesday afternoon at the UNH softball field. New Haven took game one of the doubleheader 3-2, while earning a 13-1 victory in the nightcap.

The Chargers improved to 22-7 overall and 5-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division. Pace dropped to 10-13 overall and 2-7 in NE-10 divisional play.

Game One
After scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the second inning off a Jen Palase (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), the Chargers gave up three hits and two runs in the top of the third inning to go behind 2-1.

The Chargers didn't trail for long as Christina Gelardi (Derby, Conn./Derby) crossed the plate off a Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) single to right field in the bottom portion of the third. New Have stranded one runner on base in the third and left two on in the bottom of the fifth as the game remained tied at 2-2.

New Haven's game-winner came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Palase drove in Lucy Francisco (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence ) with a double to left field and put the Chargers ahead 3-2.

In the top of the seventh, the Chargers allowed one base runner, but recorded three outs and earned the one-run victory.

Freshman Brittany Scott (Buena, N.J./Buena Regional) three six full innings, allowing two runs and seven hits with two strikeouts. She improved to 7-1 in her rookie campaign with the victory. King entered in the final inning and faced four batters for her third save of the season.

At the plate, Palase went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Spivey went 1-for-2 with one RBI and one run. Keri Tricinelli (Brick, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) chipped in with two hits in three at-bats.

Game Two
The Chargers excaped the top of the first inning of game two with no runs allowed, but two runners were left on base, including one in scoring position. The UNH offense then wasted no time to put runs on the board. New Haven hammered away nine hits for seven runs in the bottom of the first. Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) highlighted the inning with a two-RBI double to left center.

The second and top half of the third innings went scoreless before New Haven got to the plate again in the third. UNH exploded with another six runs off five hits to take a 13-0 lead. Tricinelli hit a two-RBI double to left center and Francisco hit a two-RBI home run to highlight the offensive effort in the third.

After a lead off single in the top of the fourth, King struck out two and forced a lineout to head into the bottom of the fourth with a 13-0 lead. UNH put two runners on base in the fourth, but didn't manage any runs. In the top of the fifth, Pace scored its lone run off two hits to bring the game to its final score of 13-1.

King threw the complete game with six strikeouts, five hits and one run. She improved to 7-3 on the season with the win. 

Francisco went 2-for-2 at the plate with three RBI and two runs, while Tricinelli went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs. Gelardi and Lindsey Couturier (Dighton, Mass./Dighton Rehoboth Regional) also went 2-for-3 with RBI and runs as well.

New Haven returns to action tomorrow, Thursday, April 11, when it travels to Southern Connecticut State University to complete a halted game from prior in the season. The game will resume midway through the top of the seventh inning with the score tied 6-6.

The Chargers will then travel to Le Moyne College for a trio of NE-10 Southwest Division games against the Dolphins on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14.