WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The New Haven softball team secured its third walk off win in the last week on Saturday afternoon, helping the team to a doubleheader split with Saint Rose. The Golden Knights took game one by a score of 2-0, while the Chargers claimed a 2-1 victory in eight innings in the nightcap. Junior Megan Butts (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) earned the complete game victory in game two, allowing one run on six hits over eight innings in the circle. Madison Derosia (Brattleboro, Vt./Brattleboro Union) went 4-for-4 on the day with a run scored, Sierra Whitlock (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) went 2-for-3 in game two with a walk and a run, and Samantha Errera (Sweetwater, N.J./Cedar Creek) collected a hit and RBI in game two. The Chargers move to 14-8 on the year and 9-1 in Northeast 10 play.
GAME ONE
The Chargers stranded two runners in each of the first three innings. Saint Rose got one run in the top of the third for a 1-0 lead. After a double and two walks to load the bases with nobody out, Ava Fitzmaurice (Greenville, N.Y./Greenville) induced a RBI groundout to second, then got an infield pop out and ground ball to shortstop to escape with just the one run.
The Golden Knights added another run in the fourth with two outs on a dropped pop up. Fitzmaurice got a 1-2-3 fifth inning, helped out by a catch at the wall by Catherine Vaughan (Commack, N.Y./Hauppauge) and a lunging catch at second by Derosia.
The Chargers put another runner in scoring position with two outs in the sixth when Derosia drove one off the bottom of the right-center field fence, but was stranded at second.
Down to their final three outs in the seventh, the Chargers put the leadoff batter on ahead of Whitlock, who stepped in and roped a line drive that was ticketed for the left field corner, but the third baseman made a lunging catch on the backhand and doubled the runner off first base. Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) followed with a single and Melissa Bike (Stratford, Conn./Saint Joseph) drew a walk to put the tying run on base, but a pop out to short thwarted the rally.
Fitzmaurice gave up just three hits and one earned run in the complete game effort.
GAME TWO
After a scoreless first two innings in game two, Saint Rose broke the stalemate with a run in the top of the third. With runners on first and second with one out, a double into the left center gap scored one run, and the relay of Whitlock to Case to Errera nailed the second runner at the plate to keep the score at 1-0.
Derosia helped the Chargers get the run right back in the bottom of the inning, leading off with a double to left-center. She moved to third on a ground ball by Alexandria Cunkle (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), then scored on a squeeze by Errera to knot the score 1-1.
Butts worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the fifth, and the Chargers responded by loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Derosia singled with one out and Cunkle reached on a fielder's choice. Whitlock followed with a walk to load the bases and chase the starter, Kylee Warner, from the game. Game one starter Samantha Allen came out of the bullpen and picked up a strikeout to end the Charger's threat.
After a quick sixth inning, each team stranded a runner in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
In the eighth, Butts worked around a leadoff single, getting three consecutive ground balls. Whitlock helped the Chargers pull through in bottom of the inning with a leadoff infield single, then stole second. Bike then stepped in and roped a base hit into left field. Whitlock advanced to third, but the throw from the left fielder over threw third base, allowing Whitlock to race home and score the winning run.
Sunday's scheduled game between the Chargers and Golden Knights has been postponed due to impending inclement weather. No makeup date has been announced. The Chargers will return to action at home on Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m., when they host Pace for a NE10 doubleheader.
