WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven softball team split a pair of games Wednesday afternoon against cross-town rival Southern Connecticut State. Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) threw the complete-game shutout in a 1-0 UNH victory in the opener, while SCSU's Jessica Van Alphen posted the shutout in game two.

New Haven moved to 5-8-1 on the season and 2-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division. The Owls now stand at 6-9 overall and 2-2 in NE-10 divisional play.

Game One
In the opening game, New Haven needed just one run in the bottom of the third to earn the victory. With two outs Erika Williams (Oneida, N.Y./Oneida) doubled to center field. Jen Palase (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) then stepped to the plate and drove in the game's only run with a single to left field. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Chargers tried to add more runs with two base runners, but ended the inning with runners on second and third. In the top of the sixth, Southern Connecticut State recorded one of only three hits in the game after a leadoff walk. The tying run was thrown out at plate from the outfield where Williams found Courtney Reed (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) at the dish to preserve the shutout.

The side was retired in the top of the seventh and the Chargers earned the NE-10 divisional victory.

In the shutout, King allowed three hits while throwing 11 strikeouts and four walks. Reed, Williams, Palase and Victoria Cabral (New Britain, Conn./Miss Porter's School / Hofstra) eached recorded hits for the Chargers.

Game Two
Similar to the opener, the nightcap featured just one inning of scoring. Neither team registerd a base runner in the first two innings and Julie Devlin (Baldwin, N.Y./Northwood School) was first to earn a base in the bottom of the third with a single to center field. That inning, the Chargers tranded one runner on base and the Owls' bats came alive in the top of the fourth.

SCSU used a pair of hits, a walk and a wild pitch to plate a pair of runs. UNH also left a runner on base in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but could not muster a run and suffered the loss.

Cabral pitched the complete game for New Haven. She allowed just one hit with five strikeouts and two walks. Palase, Devlin, Tori Schiebe (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) and Gilly Childs (Los Angeles, Calif./Notre Dame Academy) each tallied hits for the Chargers.

New Haven is scheduled to return to action with a doubleheader against American International on Saturday, April 4 at 12:00 p.m. at the UNH Softball Field.