The softball team found mid-week success in two six-inning contests against Ocean State rival University of Rhode Island Tuesday. After scoring only 14 runs in four weekend matchups against Dartmouth (10-21-1, 9-3 Ivy), Bruno (13-24, 3-9), rang up 24 runs in the double header.
A two-run shot by Annie McGregor ’18 gave Bruno an early 2-0 lead in the first contest. URI (6-29, 3-11) then drew level, scoring one run in each of the first two innings.
The third inning saw an offensive surge for the Bears. They hammered home six runs, four of which were unearned.
URI chipped away at Bruno’s 8-2 lead with a solo shot in the bottom of the third and three runs on three hits in the fourth.
The score remained 8-6 going into the top of the final inning, with Brown holding the two run lead.
The Bears closed out the contest strong and did not allow Rhody to sneak its way back into the game, and a no-out, two-run bomb by Catherine Seitz ’19, stretched the lead.
Then back-to-back walks by Christina Andrews ’17 and Grayson Metzger ’18 and an ensuing single by Meghan Wimmer ’19, juiced the bases for rookie Raquel Blanchard ’19. Blanchard knocked a single to left field to score Metzger and Andrews and make the score 12-6.
A walk and a fielder’s choice put three ducks on the pond again. McGregor stepped up to the plate and cracked a double to center field, bringing home three runs and making the score 15-6.
Katie Orona ’18 said that much of the Bears’ success came from their patience at the plate. “The other pitchers weren’t throwing as many strikes as what we typically see, and I think we were getting our walks in,” she said. “Then when they would throw strikes or make a mistake we would capitalize on that. So I think offensively we really came through.”
The Bears blanked the Rams in the bottom of the sixth to take the first game. The game was called after six innings due to the mercy rule.
“We came out swinging in the first game,” Andrews said. “We were able to score runs in multiple innings in both games, we played great defense, and we had great pitching to back it up.”
Kaitlin Okimoto ’20 was a perfect 3-3 in the first game. McGregor (3-4) and Seitz (3-5) also added three hits of their own in the first game.
Wimmer pitched her sixth win of the season to move her record to 6-8, and Emily Waters ’20 got the save, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings to close out the game.
Bruno’s bats stayed hot in the second game of the day. Seitz got the Bears started with a two RBI single in the top of the first, scoring Okimoto and McGregor. URI got one back in the bottom of the opening inning on a bases-loaded walk.
In the top of the second, Okimoto nailed a solo shot — her second home run of the day — to give Brown a 3-1 lead. Both Bruno and Rhody would tally a run in the third, bringing the score to 4-2.
Five runs on six hits in the final two innings would extend the lead for Brown. URI was unable to drive home a run in the last minutes of the game, and the Bears grabbed the 9-2 win before the game was called for darkness.
McGregor led the Bears offensively in the second game, going 3-4 again. Andrews contributed two hits to Bruno’s efforts as well.
Gina Cheiffallo ’17 recorded her first win of the season in a six-inning complete game in which she allowed four hits and only one earned run.
“It was great to go out there mid-week (and) get some wins after some tough games at Dartmouth and before Harvard this weekend,” Andrews said.
With only two weekends left of play in the regular season, the team will square off against Harvard and Yale in a pair of four-game series.
“These two wins were really important to get the momentum going in our direction again, going into this weekend. Harvard’s obviously a big weekend for us, so I think it’s really good that we were able to pull through these two games and invigorate the team’s spirit,” Orona said.
“We’re excited,” Andrews said. “We’re going to take the last two weekends we have and see what we can make of it and see if we can make a run farther for the Ivy Championship.”
