BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The University of New Haven softball team opened the first day of their annual Spring Break trip with an 8-3 victory over Hillsdale before dropping a 2-1 decision to No. 8 Wayne State. The Chargers' offense benefitted from three runs batted in and three extra-base hits, including a home run, from Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) in the pair of neutral-site, non-region contests.
 
After the split, New Haven stands at 3-1 on the season. The Chargers will play a doubleheader against defending East Region champion Molloy tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.
 
In the victory over Hillsdale, Fisher drove in two runs with a pair of doubles. Meghan Chamoff (Roslyn Heights, N.Y./Herricks) turned the roster around with two doubles and a triple in her three at-bats from the nine spot in the lineup. Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI, and Julie Devlin (Baldwin, N.Y./Northwood School) drove in two runs courtesy of her first collegiate home run. Brandy Dianno (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) also had two hits, including a triple, in the win.
 
Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) went the distance in the circle for the Chargers. She scattered six hits, two walks and a hit batter that led to three earned runs. King racked up nine strikeouts to improve to 2-0.
 
After plating three unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning, New Haven was kept at bay for the next four innings as Hillsdale pulled even at 3-3. The Chargers broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth frame with a two-out rally. Chamoff doubled to start the offense and Devlin followed with a home. After a Dianno single and stolen base, Lindsay Couturier was hit by a pitch and Fisher ripped a double to plate the pair. Spivey followed with an RBI single to cap the day's scoring at 8-3.
 
Pitching dominated the second game of the day as Victoria Cabral (New Britain, Conn./Miss Porter's School / Hofstra University) went toe-to-toe with No. 8 nationally-ranked Wayne State. After ceding a run in the bottom of the first, New Haven knotted the score in the next half-inning with Fisher's solo home run. At that point, Cabral traded zeroes with Wayne State's Briana Lee into the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
The Warriors scratched out a run in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI infield hit, and the 2-1 margin proved final in the Chargers' first defeat of the spring.
 
Despite being saddled with the loss, Cabral (1-1) was effective with two earned runs allowed on six hits and four walks while striking out two.
 
Following tomorrow's doubleheader with Molloy in Clermont, New Haven returns to Winter Haven on Monday, March 17 to meet St. Cloud State and Caldwell. After an off day, the southern trip concludes with doubleheaders against non-region foes on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20.
 
Opening day at the UNH Softball Field is also the Northeast-10 opener for the Chargers, who host Bentley in a noon doubleheader on Saturday, March 22.