No. 1 Bryant and No. 2 Central Connecticut each won on the opening day of the 2014 #NECSoftball Tournament being held on the campus of Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. The Blulldogs stopped No. 4 LIU Brooklyn, 7-4, in the first game of the afternoon, and was followed by the Blue Devils . Bryant and CCSU will meet on Friday, May 9th at 10:30 am with a spot in the title game at stake, while LIU and FDU square off at 1:00 pm in an elimination game. Both contests can be viewed live and for free on NEC Front Row.
Game 1
#1 Bryant 7, #4 LIU Brooklyn 4
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The Bulldogs were the first to score in the bottom of the third. Senior outfielder Kristen Carter crossed the plate on an infield single.
LIU answered quickly in the top of the fourth, when Jazmine Rodriguez blasted a two run homer and gave the Blackbirds a 2-1 edge. Bryant freshman Taylor Burger evened the score by drawing a walk with bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth.
LIU Brooklyn’s Alyssa Gospodarek knocked a leadoff homer for the Blackbird go ahead but the Bulldogs looked to Mable to make a move. Down 3-2, and two outs on the scoreboard in the fifth, Mable found the gap in left center and sparked the Bulldog offense with a double. Junior Madeline Velasquez reached on an infield error, which sent Mable to third base, but a LIU miscue allowed Mable to score, tying the game, 3-3. After a wild pitch advanced Velasquez to third, NEC Player of the Year Elle Madsen placed an RBI single on the left line to give Bryant a 4-3 lead.
In a last stitch effort, Gospodarek struck for another run-scoring hit, this time an RBI single to right field that plated Madison Zymkowitz and tied the contest at 4-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bulldogs took advantage of wet conditions and a LIU pitching shift. Bryant drew four walks which ultimately led to three runs for a 7-4 lead.
Madsen controlled the circle and tossed seven solid innings. Madsen (23-9) faced 31 batters and struckout four.
Bryant will take on Central Connecticut Friday at 10:30 a.m. while LIU Brooklyn will meet Fairleigh Dickinson at 1:00 pm.
Game 2
#2 Central Connecticut 3, #3 Fairleigh Dickinson 0
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NEC Pitcher of the Year Laura Messina pitched a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts to lead the second-seeded Central Connecticut to a 3-0 win over the Fairleigh Dickinson.
Messina gave up one hit in the first inning, but tallied 10 strikeouts in the circle. The nation’s leader in shutouts registered her 14th shutout of 2014.
The Blue Devils put the first run on the board in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from freshman Alexis Debrosse. Debrosse shot a single through the left side to drive home senior Arielle Bruno,
CCSU maintained the one-run lead until the bottom of the sixth when junior Kat Malcolm registered her fifth home run of the season. Malcolm crushed a two-run homer over the center-field fence to bring in Debrosse, who had doubled to right center.
The Blue Devils will now take on top-seeded Bryant tomorrow at 10:30 a.m, while the Knights will meet LIU Brooklyn at 1:00 pm.
