Rams Defeat Raiders

The Suffolk University Softball team hosted the Rivier Raiders in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) twin bill on Thursday afternoon. The Rams took both games, winning game one in five innings 12-0 and game two 7-3.

Game One: Suffolk 12, Rivier 0

Freshman pitcher Kim Crucioli (North Andover, Mass.) opened the top of first retiring all three of Rivier's batters for a quick three and out. The Rams were swift to get on the offensive side of the inning scoring 10 of their 12 runs at the bottom of the first.

Kristen Young (Windsor, Conn.) got the Rams on the bags first with a single to left field. The bases were loaded when Meredith Ball (Nahant, Mass.) stepped up to the plate and doubled to center field brining in two RBI to give Suffolk a 2-0 lead. Crucioli singled with the bases loaded to score Lindsay Pagano (Wyckoff, N.J.). With two outs and the bases loaded for the third time on the inning Nikki Cignarella (Norwood, Mass.) was walked to plate Ball with a 4-0 score. Sarah Chasse (Salem, Mass.) brought in two RBI after a single to center field to pad the score 6-0. Young was back at the plate to bring Cignarella home with a single. Erin McAndrews (Marblehead, Mass.) was intentionally walked to load the bags again for the Rams. Pagano singled to center field to bring in Young and Chasse for a 9-0 edge on the Raiders. Ball rounded out the scoring for Suffolk with a single to left center to plate McAndrews to give the Rams a 10-0 advantage.

The Rams and the Raiders defenses stayed strong allowing only on hit a piece. The Rams went at it again in the bottom of the fourth adding two more runs. Cignarella singled to plate Nicole Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.). Young brought in the last RBI of the afternoon to bring home Emily Martel (East Hartland, Conn.) for a 12-0 score.

Ball had a game high three RBI on the afternoon. Crucioli picked up her ninth win of the season with nine strikeouts and only one hit allowed.

Game Two: Suffolk 7, Rivier 3

Suffolk was the first to get on the board when McAndrews flied out to center field to plate Young for a 1-0 lead. Neither team allowed a hit in the second inning.

At the top of the third Rivier was able to get on the bags when Nicole Peacock (Warwick, R.I.) doubled to left field. Shaylyn Freitas (Pelham, N.H.) reached on a Suffolk error and advanced to third to get Peacock an unearned run and tied the game 1-1. The Raiders took their first lead on the afternoon with a single from Nicole Scotti (Concord, N.H.) to plate Freitas for a 2-1 advantage.

Suffolk took back the lead at the bottom of the third when Rosa doubled to left center bringing in two RBI for a 3-2 score.

Rivier answered when Jessica Cote (Nashua, N.H.) got on the bags with a triple to right field. Lia Bobek (Hollis, N.H.) singled to bring Cote home to tie the game once again 3-3.

Suffolk pulled back ahead after Martel brought Chasse across home plate to top the Raiders 4-3 at the bottom of the fourth. Suffolk defense took the Raiders in a quick three and out at the top of the fifth.

Chasse was up to bat with the bases loaded to bring in Rosa with a single to left field. Martel doubled to center field with the bags loaded to score Chasse and Ball for the last two runs of the game and a 7-3 advantage over the Raiders.

Cruciolo picked up her tenth win and Chasse picked up her first save of the season when she took the mound at the top of the fourth and kept the Rams on top with four strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Martel brought in a game high three RBI on the afternoon.

These pair of wins improves the Rams to 16-20 overall and 8-10 in GNAC play. The Raiders drop to 9-21 overall and 3-15 in conference action.

Suffolk is back in GNAC action hosting Emmanuel on Friday afternoon in a doubleheader starting at 3:30pm. Rivier is traveling to Johnson and Wales for a GNAC doubleheader starting at 3:00pm.