Softball Secures Pitcher’s Duel 2-0 Win Over Wentworth in Game 1

EAST BOSTON – Behind a near perfect pitching performance from Jenny Jacob, an offensive sixth-inning surge and a costly Leopards error, Suffolk softball defeated Wentworth, 2-0, in the opener of a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader at East Boston Memorial Park Saturday. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2 | Wentworth 0 
RECORDS: Suffolk (18-13, 8-3 CCC) | Wentworth (20-9, 8-3 CCC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
All the action centered around the circle as there were 20 strikeouts through 5.5 innings.  

Suffolk started to figure out Erin Hancock in the home half of the sixth. Base hits from Jolie Quintana and Savannah Scripter were traded with outs before Ally Cifaratta joined the hit rally with an infield single. With the bags chucked Lily Gustafson sent a screamer to left that was just wide of fair territory. The freshman worked a 2-2 count before hitting a piece to Wentworth's second baseman Katelin Howe. Howe's bobble not allowed the first run of the day come in, but took enough time for Rams' pinch runner Haley Oteri to score as well.  

Jacob returned to the rubber, which she commanded with ease throughout the day. The junior right-handed twirler sat down the side to bring her daily total to 13 and lock up the crucial conference victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Jacob logged a one-hit, two-walk complete-game shutout. She threw 97 pitches, 65 strikes, to keep the Leopards off the board. 
• Hancock had a day on the rubber as well. She allowed two unearned runs on five hits with no walks and 11 punchouts. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Quintana had two of Suffolk's five hits and scored one of the Rams runs. 
• Caitlin Murphy recorded the only extra-base knock of the day, a triple. 
• Scripter and Cifaratta rounded out the Rams with hits with one each. 
• Oteri scored one run.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk moved to 15-4 all-time against Wentworth. 
• The Rams improved to 11-3 when hosting WIT. 
• Suffolk shutout Wentworth for the first time since a 7-0 decision March 27, 2021. 
• It was the fourth shutout in the Suffolk, WIT all-time series. The Rams are 4-0 when a team in the Suffolk, Wentworth series is kept off the scoreboard. 
• Jacob had double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season.
• Jacob logged her fourth complete-game shutout of the year. 
• Jacob tossed her ninth complete game of the campaign. 
• Cifaratta extended her hit streak to nine games.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk goes for the sweep of the Leopards this afternoon.