WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The Chargers softball team returned to the diamond for their second straight conference doubleheader of opening weekend in West Haven against Assumption College. Riding dominant pitching performances and an explosion of the bats through the cold, the blue and gold look to improve upon their already 2-0 record in conference at home against the Greyhounds.
Preview:
Opening weekend continued for the Chargers on Sunday with a double header against Assumption College following a sweep of AIC on Saturday. New Haven entered the 7-7 riding the high of a walk off win in game one and a no-hitter by starting pitcher Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) in game two to complete the sweep. Assumption entered the series following a split against Southern Connecticut State on Saturday sitting at 4-15, 1-1 in the conference. New Haven leads the series 24-13. This is the first matchup between the two since they met in 2019 in West Haven where the Chargers swept the Greyhounds winning 3-1 and 5-4.
Game 1:
Don Justus looked to the same lineup from Saturday to go in game one looking to start out strong against the Greyhounds. Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) returned to the circle following her fifth win of the year and quickly got the first out on a ground out. After that the Greyhounds strung together three hits to load the bases before Mollie Verrault homered to left putting Assumption up 4-0 to open the game. The bats for the Chargers down four runs got to work loading the bases for Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) who came up looking to help herself in the circle. She would work a walk pushing across the first run for the Chargers before the Greyhounds defense ended the inning after the lone run. Aponte would settle in after the first, going three up three down in the second and third. Assumption would cross another two runs in the fifth off Aponte making it 6-1 leaving the Chargers to their final nine outs. With the pressure on the bats came alive in the fifth when Aponte helped herself to right scoring Nahtali SImpson from second making it a 6-2 game. After another shutout performance by Aponte in the sixth the bats got back to work. Pinch hitting Alex Tenero (Wallingford, Conn./Lyman Hall) singled to left and that was the beginning for the blue and gold as following the single Hailey Laforte (Milford, Conn./Foran) cleared the left field fence homering and made it a 6-4 game with one swing of the bat. Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) got things going doubling before scoring on a Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) single making it a one run game. Assumption would then dig in and deny the Chargers any more runs, denying the complete comeback in the 7th taking game one 6-5 as the blue and gold dropped their first game of the home stand.
Game 2:
Following the tough loss in game 1 Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) took to the circle following her no-hitter from a day ago looking to lead the Chargers to the win and the split against the Greyhounds. Iodice's hopes of another no-hitter were stopped with a lead off single to open the game for Assumption, but Iodice did not let that get in her way, shutting down the next three Assumption batters in order, picking up two strikeouts. After a longer delay between games the bats for the blue and gold needed longer to warm up after the late heat they found in game one. Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) opened with a single but would be left on base to end the inning. Both pitchers cruised through the first two innings before Assumption grabbed the first run and the lead with a homer off Iodice in the third. That lead would only an inning as the bats warmed right up and went back to work in the 4th starting with Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) doubling to the fence to lead things off. Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph) would advance Simpson to third on a single before she would come home on an Ashley Veisz (Robbinsville,N.J./Robbinsville) sac fly. New Haven would then load the bases for Hailey Laforte (Milford, Conn./Foran) with already one homer on the day and added her second clearing the construction fence in left plating four and giving the Chargers the 5-1 lead. With her first lead Iodice would give up one hit in the 5th before retiring the side and turning things over to the bats yet again. SImpson led things off again with a walk and chasing four runs to end the game in the fifth the Chargers strung together three hits on one Assumption error to plate 4 and end the game by the mercy rule giving the Chargers the 9-1 win splitting the double header.
With the win and the split against Assumption the blue and gold on opening weekend went 3-1 riding the explosion of the bats and dominant pitching performances. Now at 8-8 the homestand continues for New Haven in a non-conference doubleheader against Post in a midweek game. The Chargers host Post on Tuesday afternoon with first pitch at 2:30p.m. on the Charger Sports Network.
