BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Junior Loren Rozanski (Plainville, Conn.) launched a two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth, as No. 7 Nichols College rallied past No. 6 University of New England for a 6-5 victory in a play-in game of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship Monday afternoon at Claude Dubois Field.
The Bison (16-22) advance to play third-seeded Curry College when the double-elimination phase of the TCCC Championship begins tomorrow. That game will be played at Western New England College, starting at 2:30 p.m. The Nor'easters conclude their season with a 22-13-1 record.
First-years Lauren Correia (Seekonk, Mass.), Chelsea Correia (Seekonk, Mass.) and Samantha Hardigan (Brockton, Mass.) had two hits apiece for the Bison. Sophomore pitcher Lindsay Hassett (Oxford, Mass.) overcame 11 hits allowed to record the victory and up her record to 10-6. She issued zero walks and struck out 11.
Senior Ashley DePasquale had three hits and two runs batted in to pace the UNE offense. Junior Caroline Engwer had a double and home run, while senior Megan Gaedje contributed a pair of singles. First-year Erin Lyons allowed four earned runs and fanned nine as her record dipped to 10-6.
Trailing 4-3 after five innings, Chelsea Correia stroked a one-out single to left to start the Nichols rally. Hardigan followed with an infield single, then was erased one batter later when a UNE outfielder recovered after dropping a Savannah Thibault (Marlboro, Mass.) fly ball and threw to second for the force play. After Thibault stole second to put runners at second and third, Lauren Correia beat out an infield single on a very close play at first, scoring Chelsea Correia. Rozanski then came to the plate and blasted a one-hopper of the center field fence to plate two runs.
A half an inning earlier, the Nor'easters recovered from a 3-1 deficit to score three times and assume a 4-3 advantage. DePasquale knocked home a pair with a double to the left-center gap, and first-year Ashley Gott followed with a line-drive single to left to deliver Pasquale.
Engwer ripped her first homer of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning to get UNE within one at 6-5.
Hassett would close things out in dominant fashion in the final frame, inducing a popout to start the inning and recording a pair of strikeouts to end the game.
Story courtesy UNE Sports Information
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