WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven softball team opened up a doubleheader against crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday afternoon with a 7-5 victory in 12 innings. The win for the Chargers boosts their Northeast-10 divisional record to 6-1, while the Blue and Gold stand at 15-4 on the season. The second game of the doubleheader was cancelled due to the length of game one.
Leading New Haven at the plate was freshman Rachel Gilmore (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) who came off the bench as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning. In a pair of at bats, Gilmore finished with two singles and drove in two runs. Also driving in two runs for the Chargers was junior shortstop Julie Devlin (Baldwin, N.Y./Northwood School) who finished 1-of-4 at the plate with two runs scored and the two RBI.
Jen Palase (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and Taylor Luzzi (Fishkill, N.Y./John Jay) joined Gilmore as the only other Chargers who finished with a pair of hits. Palase also drove in one run. Overall, New Haven finished with nine hits, while holding the Owls to five runs on 10 hits. SCSU also finished with four errors.
In the circle, senior Victoria Cabral (New Britain, Conn./Miss Porter's School / Hofstra) earned the victory, taking over for classmate Nicole King (Front Royal, Va./Warren County) in the sixth inning. King closed out her afternoon allowing four runs, all earned, on eight hits and four walks while striking out seven. Cabral allowed one run, unearned, on two hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
New Haven opened the scoring in the third inning with Devlin beginning the one-run rally when she worked a one out walk. After a sacrifice bunt moved her to second, Devlin was able to score easily when Palase tripled to centerfield.
Devlin would then provide the muscle in the fourth plating two runs on her first hit of the afternoon, a double to right center. That hit drove in Luzzi who started the rally with a single to right and Gabby DeLeo (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Hubert Catholic) who was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Devlin.
The Blue and Gold extended its lead to 4-0 with a single run in the fifth inning all without a hit. Palase led off the frame reaching when she was hit by a pitch. After advancing to second on a passed ball, she took third on a sacrifice fromTori Schiebe (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) before scoring on a second passed ball. The Owls broke their drought in the sixth inning when they plated four runs to tie the game.
After trading scoreless innings in the seventh, eighth and ninth, the two squads traded runs in the 10th. Coming off the bench as a pinch hitter, Gilmore collected her first collegiate RBI driving in Devlin on a bases loaded single to right field.
Gilmore would come through again in the 12th inning after the Chargers defense worked out of a bases loaded one out situation to preserve the stalemate in the bottom of the 11th. Gilmore pushed an insurance run across the board in the 12th as her second hit of the afternoon drove in Sierra Whitlock (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge). The game-winning run in that inning came courtesy of a miscue at second base for the Owls with Palase reaching safely on the error and DeLeo scoring from second.
The Chargers will return to the diamond on Thursday with a second-straight day of divisional play when they travel to Pleasantville, N.Y. to meet the Pace Setters. First pitch in the opening game of the doubleheader is slated for 3:00 p.m. at the Pace Softball Field.
