BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. - With six runs in the top of the ninth inning, Southern New Hampshire University pulled off a 9-3 extra inning victory over the University of New Haven softball team in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Division II East Region 1 Softball Championship hosted at the UNH Softball Field. The Chargers move on to an elimination game tomorrow against Wilmington at 1:30 p.m.

New Haven drops to 29-17 on the season, while the Penmen improve to 30-13. SNHU advances in the winners bracket to take on LIU Post, winners of game one 1-0 over Wilmington, at 11 a.m. Saturday morning.

Senior catcher Brooke Fisher (Erial, N.J./Camden Catholic) led the Charger bats with a two-RBI homerun to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning. She went 2-for-3 with the two RBI and one run in the loss. Jess Spivey (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) also hit a homerun to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth.

In the circle, Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) suffered the loss for New Haven in eight and two-third innings pitched. She allowed eight runs and threw three strikeouts.

Southern New Hampshire's Ali Maloof threw her second complete game victory against UNH in as many meetings. She gave up three hits, while fanning eight batters.

After three scoreless innings, the Penmen got on the board first in the top of the fourth inning. King pitched around a lead-off single in the top of the third, but a lead-off double in the fourth for the Penmen proved to be valuable. Holly Eicher pushed a two-out single up the middle and drove in SNHU's go-ahead run.

Spivey answered with a 1-1 count homerun that sailed over 220 feet over the left center field fence. The solo shot was the first hit Maloof gave up to the Chargers in 10-straight innings of play, dating to last Sunday's Northeast-10 Conference Championship game.

Southern New Hampshire added two runs in the top of the fifth inning off two hits and two walks. King gave up a lead-off walk and forced a foul-out before Victoria Cabral (New Britain, Conn./Miss Porter's School / Hofstra University) entered the circle in relief. After striking out the first batter she faced, the New Britain, Conn. native took a hard hit ground ball to the foot and was forced to leave the game. King re-entered and the Penmen capitalized with two runners on base.

After retiring the side in the bottom of the fifth and going hitless in the top of the sixth, SNHU held a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth. After a strike out opened the inning, Spivey was hit by a pitch and pinch ran for by Erika Williams (Oneida, N.Y./Oneida). Two batters later, Fisher sent the game-tying homerun over the left field fence.

The game then went scoreless until the top of the ninth when the Penmen used five hits and one UNH error to plate six runs, all with two outs.

In the bottom of the ninth, Fisher earned a lead-off walk before the next three were retired and the Chargers suffered a 9-3 loss.

To stay alive to the championship series on Sunday, New Haven will need to defeated Wilmington before playing another game against the loser of game three between LIU Post and Southern New Hampshire tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m.

For complete coverage of the 2014 NCAA Division II East Region 1 Championship, visit championship central or go to www.NewHavenChargers.com/NCAASoftball.