SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New Haven softball team (21-18, 12-10 NE10) scattered 15 hits over five innings as the Chargers completed the three-game NE10 divisional sweep against the American International Yellow Jackets, taking the series finale 10-2 on Sunday. Leading the Blue and Gold on the day was senior third baseman Erin Stever (Parish, N.Y./Altmar Parish Williamstown) who drove in three runs off a pair of hits.
Overall, all nine Chargers in the starting lineup finished with at least one hit with senior centerfielder Sierra Whitlock (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) leading the way in that column with three hits in three at bats, scoring a pair of runs, including the first run of the game in the top of the first inning after leading off with a single up the middle.
Joining her and Stever with a multi-hit game was senior left fielder Tori Schiebe (Monroe, Conn./Masuk), junior shortstop Taylor Luzzi (Fishkill, N.Y./John Jay) and freshman designated player Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph's) who all closed out the contest with two hits. All but one of the Chargers 15 total hits was a single with the only extra base knock coming from Hillman, an RBI double to left field.
In the circle, sophomore Megan Butts (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) earned her second victory of the series, pitching the full five innings and surrendering two runs on six hits without issuing a free pass. She also struck out two batters, forcing four fly outs and nine groundouts.
As they did in the previous two games in the series, the Chargers opened up the scoring right out of the gate with two runs in the top of the first inning. The first two batters of the game both reached safely with the leadoff single by Whitlock followed by a single to right center for Colby. The pair each advanced one base on a groundout before both were able to score on a single to right center from senior first baseman Kristine Liptack (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull).
The Chargers added five more runs before surrendering any to the Yellow Jackets, plating three runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth. All three runs in the third inning came with two outs after a pair of fly balls opened up the inning. New Haven followed those two early outs with five-straight singles from Hillman, Schiebe, sophomore right fielder Alexandria Cunkle (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Stever with Cunkle driving in Hillman and Stever pushing two runs across with her single to left field.
After a pitching change to start the fourth inning, the Chargers opened up with a single to center from Luzzi before a one-out double from Hillman drove in Luzzi, adding a run to New Haven's tally. Hillman was rewarded later in the inning on Stever's second-straight single, this one to right center.
AIC broke up the shutout in the bottom of the fourth inning, but New Haven answered right back, regaining those two runs surrendered and adding one more to force the shortened-game victory. Five of the first six batters in the fifth for New Haven all reached safely, including the third single of the day for Whitlock which opened things up. After a fly ball, Luzzi drove in Whitlock with a single to left before her and Liptack, who was hit by a pitch, were able to score on a single up the middle from Schiebe for her second base hit of the game.
Despite a leadoff single allowed in the bottom of the fifth by Butts, she stepped up and retired the next three batters, the top of the order for AIC, in order to secure her 10th victory of the season.
The Chargers will continue divisional play on Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Garden City for a pair of games against the Adelphi Panthers. New Haven will look for its sixth-straight victory in the opener against Adelphi which is slated for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch.
