WEST HAVEN, Conn. – After picking up their first two wins down in Florida, the University of New Haven Softball team returned to Charger Softball field and finally got to play in front of their home fans, looking to avenge their loss to the Cougars of Caldwell University from Florida. As the blue and gold looked to beat the rain of the evening head coach Kelly Patterson looked to her freshmen pitcher Breanna Kinney (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) to make the home opening start.
The Cougars were the first to push a run across in the first inning after a lead off single would come around to score. Kinney would settle in and shut down Caldwell keeping the Chargers within one. Batting for the first time in a game at home the Chargers jumped out as Bella Chenet (Plantation, Fla./Archbishop McCarthy) was hit by the second pitch of the inning and put the first Charger aboard. Olivia Roberto (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun) put the ball on the infield and forced an error and advanced Chenet to third on the play. With runners at the corners, the hot bat of Brianna Trueman (Trout Run, Pa./Montoursville Area) forced an error on the shortstop scoring Chenet from third and tying the game at one. Halle Frederick (Green Lane, Pa./Quakertown) kept the inning going as she found green in the outfield loading the bases. Lauren Haversat (Seymour, Conn./Seymoour) came up with the big hit singling to the gap scoring Roberto and Trueman giving the blue and gold the lead, 3-1. With runners at first and second, Meg Anderson (Cranston, R.I./Cranston) found the gap on the right side of the infield scoring Frederick and advancing Thorpe to third. Ashley Veisz (Robbinsville,N.J./Robbinsville) would double, plating Thorpe as New Haven gave their pitcher the lead, scoring five runs in the inning making it 5-1. Caldwell in the second inning would respond having a five running inning of their own taking the lead in a 6-5 game. In the third, Caldwell added one more run making it a two run game. The Chargers got within one in the fourth, after Ashley Veisz (Robbinsville,N.J./Robbinsville) walked to lead off the inning and after advancing on a wild pitch came around to score on Olivia Roberto's (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun) triple to left field. Down one, New Haven tied things up as Thorpe battled off a 2-2 pitch singling to get the first runner on. Anderson found green in the outfield doubling and scoring Thorpe to make it a 7-7 game. The Cougars retook the lead in the sixth pushing a run across to retake the lead. Down to their final out in the seventh inning and with two on, Ashley Veisz (Robbinsville,N.J./Robbinsville) with the runners moving on the pitch grounded over to third and with speed got up the line as the third baseman was off the mark with her throw as Veisz beat the throw and the game was all tied up as the Chargers forced extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Caldwell pushed across six runs to take the lead in extras. New Haven in the home half pushed a run across but it was not enough, as Caldwell would take game one winning 14-9. Looking to bounce back in game two the Chargers looked to Vianna McKinley to work in game two. Caldwell opened up the first inning scoring a pair to take the early lead. The Chargers responded as Chenet singled to open up the inning as Haversat singled through the right side scoring Chenet and cutting the lead in half. Molloy would go on and score eight runs as New Haven battling the rain would fall 10-1 as McKinley would take the loss in the circle.
The Chargers now with almost a week off to practice return to the diamond for another non-conference double header when they travel to Rockville Centre to take on the Lions of Molloy. The Chargers and Lions square off for a double-header on Tuesday March, 26 with first pitch from Rockville Centrell at 3:30 p.m. All updates, schedules, and post-game recaps for the team will be available at Newhavenchargers.com.
