BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. - The University of New Haven softball team opened the 2014 season Tuesday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of host Dowling College. The Chargers outscored the Golden Lions 12-2 in total, winning game one 7-0 and game two 5-2.

Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) threw the complete game shutout in the opener with six strikeouts and only giving up two hits. Transfer Victoria Cabral (New Britain, Conn./Miss Porter's School / Hofstra University) tossed game two and sealed her first victory in a Chargers' uniform with three strikeouts and one earned run. At the plate, Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) went 6-for-8 with four RBI. Lindsey Couturier (Dighton, Mass./Dighton Rehoboth Regional) went 3-for-6 with two RBI and five runs scored. Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) and Gabby DeLeo (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Hubert Catholic) each registered a two RBI day as well.

The Chargers opened the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2011, while the Golden Lions dropped to 4-6 this season.

Game One
After stranding four runners on base in the first two innings, New Haven took the lead off the eventual game-winning single from Spivey in the top of the third inning. The Chargers 1-0 lead would stand until the top of the fifth inning, when they went ahead 3-0 after a Fisher double to drive in Couturier. Spivey stepped to the plate next and drove in her second run of the game. 

Dowling managed one base runner in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, but King held them scoreless with two strikeouts. New Haven then erupted in the top of the seventh inning with four runs off four hits. Couturier opened the inning with her first homerun of the season, while sophomore Jen Palase (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) doubled to drive in the Chargers fifth run. DeLeo finished driving in runs during the seventh with a two-RBI single up the middle.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Golden Lions were retired in order and the Chargers earned their first victory of the young season. 

King went all seven innings with six strikeouts and two hits allowed. Spriver went a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while Couturier went 2-for-3 with a RBI and three runs scored. 

Game Two
The Chargers came out faster in game two of the doubleheader. UNH posted a run in each of the first two innings to take an early 2-0 lead. A Spivey double to right field drove in one in the top of the first and a Meghan Chamoff (Roslyn Heights, N.Y./Herricks) knocked an infield RBI single in the top of the second put two runs on the scoreboard. 

Dowling's first run of the afternoon came in the third inning when one hit and three UNH errors lead to an unearned run. The fourth was scoreless for both teams and then the Chargers added another three in the top of the fifth inning. New Havne used four hits to score the trio of runs. Couturier, Fisher and Spivey all drove in runs to put the Chargers ahead 5-1 after five.

The final runs in the nightcap crossed the plate in the bottom of the seventh when Dowling added one run off two hits in the inning.

Cabral went all seven innings with three strikeouts, four hits and one earned run. Spivey went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Couturier went 1-for-3 with one RBI and two runs.

New Haven's home opener against Dominican on Thursday has been postponed to April. The Chargers will be back in action in Florida for their annual spring break games at the Rebel Spring Games and the NTC Spring Games. It all gets underway against Hillsdale and Wayne State on Saturday, March 15.