BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Hannah Pirez went 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in the second game to help the Roger Williams softball team earn a split against Wentworth in its Commonwealth Coast Conference opener. The Hawks took the nightcap by an 11-5 final after the Leopards held on in the first game, 4-3.
The Leopards struck first in the opener as sophomore Kelly Budzik (Fort Plain, N.Y.) reached on an error and went to third on a one-out double off the bat of freshman Liz Glavin (Ipswich, Mass.). A walk to freshman Sam Curran (Quincy, Mass.) loaded the bases, and, after a foul out, senior Randi Swihart (Gardner, Mass.) cleared the bases with a three-run double. An inning later Wentworth made it a 4-0 game when Altieri led off with a single and would come home to score, thanks to two Hawk errors.
Roger Williams came back with a run in the fifth as freshman Caroline Atkinson (Milford, Mass.) led off with a ground-rule double and came home on a ground-rule double off the bat of senior Erica Castro (Medford, N.Y.).
In the seventh inning Castro delivered a one-out single and went to second on a sophomore Kaitlyn Costa (Cranston, R.I.) single. After a flyout, senior Kara Lewis (Taunton, Mass.) singled to score Castro and as the result of an outfield error, scored Costa. Lewis tried going from first to third but was thrown out at third to end the game.
The Leopards were held to four hits, with Budzik, Glavin, Swihart, and senior Samantha Altieri (Lakeville, Mass.) each getting hits. Freshman Sam Burgner (Dalton, Mass.) picked up the win in the circle, improving to 4-8. She allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and struck out three.
Castro and Lewis each recorded two hits for Roger Williams while senior Jacyln Doolin (Miller Place, N.Y.) was tagged with the loss, allowing four unearned runs on four hits and striking out six in five innings.
Game two saw the Hawks take a 2-0 lead in the second inning as freshman Alana Peoples (Scarborough, Maine) had an RBI single and junior Lauren Tierney (Middleboro, Mass.), who was hit by a pitch, eventually scored on a wild pitch. Roger Williams added to its lead by scoring four times in the third with sophomore Rachel Ehrlich (Southport, Conn.) delivering an RBI single, Costa, who reached on an error, scoring on an error, Pirez delivering an RBI double, and freshman Caroline Atkinson (Milford, Mass.) driving in a run with a sacrifice fly.
The home half of the third saw Wentworth cut the lead in half, as Budzik had an RBI double and eventually came home on a wild pitch and senior Mieka Melbourne (Roylaston, Mass.), who was inserted as a pinch runner, scored on an RBI single from Curran.
Roger Williams added a run in the fifth on a leadoff home run from Pirez to make it a 7-3 game before the Leopards clawed their way back with two runs in the bottom of the inning as freshman Isabella Grassetti (Monson, Mass.) led off with a single and went to second and scored on a Budzik single. Budzik came around to score on a Curran single.
The Hawks put the game away with four in the seventh, keyed by Pirez's second blast of the game and a two-run double from Castro.
Lewis picked up the win, going four innings in relief. She allowed a pair of runs on five hits and struck out four. Senior Stacy Broughton (Newtown, Conn.) started and gave up three runs on four hits and struck out five in three innings of work. In addition to Pirez, Castro was 2-for-5 with two RBI and People was 2-for-4.
Budzik took the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits in two innings of work. Burgner pitched the final five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits. Budzik, Glavin, and Curran had two hits apiece, with Curran driving in two runs.
Roger Williams stands at 4-11 overall (1-1 CCC) and hosts Curry tomorrow. Wentworth is 6-9 (1-3) and hosts Maine-Presque Isle on Thursday.
