WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven softball team opened up its 11-date home schedule splitting a doubleheader against the Queens College Knights on Tuesday afternoon. The Chargers dropped the opening game of the double-dip by a 9-0 final before rebounding to win the nightcap 4-1 as the game was called after six innings due to darkness.
Leading the Chargers at the plate on the day was freshman Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph's) who finished with a combined three hits, all of which came in the second game. Among those three hits was her team-leading fourth home run of the season as she lifted the second pitch she was in the game over the fence in left field.
Following her at the plate was senior Kristine Liptack (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) who split a pair of hits over the game while also driving in one of the Chargers four runs in the night cap. Five other players all finished with one hit on the day.
In the circle, Megan Butts (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) suffered the loss, her first of the season, in the opening game. Over 6.2 innings of work, Butts gave up 12 hits and allowed eight runs, five of which were earned. She also struck out one. Earning the victory in a complete game outing in game two was Kylie Stonebraker (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis High School). The sophomore finished her six-inning appearance surrendering just two hits, while the one run allowed was unearned. She also struck out five batters, a season-high for either pitcher through the first six outings.
Game 1: Queens 9, New Haven 0
Queens opened up the scoring early in the game, pushing one run across in the top of the first inning thanks to Lauren Pascual who accounted for the Knights first three RBI in the game. New Haven looked to even the score in the second inning with a pair of runners aboard thanks to hits from Katrina Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) and Vanessa Strohm (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), however both were part of six total runners the Chargers left on base.
The Knights added a pair of insurance runs in the third and fifth innings that resulted in a 5-0 lead before New Haven threatened to break up the shutout with two runners in scoring position with one out in the sixth. After a popup led off the inning, Taylor Luzzi (Fishkill, N.Y./John Jay) was able to reach on a muffed ball at shortstop. Liptack followed that by dropping a double down the left field line that left both in scoring position. The Knights starting pitcher Vanessa Juengerkes responded to that threat by forcing the next two batters into a popup to short and a groundout to third to end the inning. Queens then put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh when they plated four more runs thanks to four hits, including 2-RBI singles from Briana Schippell and ToniMarie Valeriano.
Game 2: New Haven 4, Queens 1
In the nightcap it was the Chargers who struck early, pushing single runs across in the first and second innings to put the Knights in a deficit. After stranding a runner on in the top of the first, New Haven dropped in a pair of hits with two outs that pushed the game's first run across the plate. Luzzi opened up the offense with a single to right field while she was quickly followed by Liptack whose double to the wall in right center allowed Luzzi to score from third, registering Liptack's eighth RBI of the season.
Hillman then began her success at the plate when in her first appearance in game two she drilled the second pitch she faced from Valeriano over the left field fence about 10 feet in from the foul pole. Following that home run from Hillman, the Chargers mustered two more baserunners but were unable to score either as Valeriano forced an pop out at short stop to end the threat.
The Chargers added one more run in the fourth inning, again with Hillman kicking off the offense. As the leadoff hitter for the second time in the game, she opened up the inning with a single up the middle. Sophomore Samantha Errera (Sweetwater, N.J./Cedar Creek), who came in to run for Hillman, would quickly advance to 60-feet shy of home plate, doing so on the next two batters. With a pair of runners in scoring position and just one out, the Chargers turned to pinch hitter Marissa Colby (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) who drilled her first hit of the day to left center field, allowing Errera to score.
The Knights managed to push one run across in the top of the fifth inning, making a walk issued to Alyssa Neal comeback to payoff. However, the Chargers would get that run back in the sixth inning with Hillman again leading off the inning and again reaching base safely with her third hit of the game a single to right field. After advancing on a passed ball, she would take third on an infield groundout where a single up the middle off the bat of Stever allowed her to score easily. The two teams would attempt to finish the seventh inning but were cut short due to darkness.
Up Next
Due to the threat of inclement weather in the Northeast, the Chargers next games will come on Saturday when they begin a three-stop trip in Tennessee with a doubleheader against the Carson-Newman Eagles. New Haven was slated for a doubleheader on Wednesday at Molloy, however that has been postponed with a make-up date not yet available. The doubleheader at Carson-Newman is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at the Carson-Newman Softball Complex.
