Softball Hangs On for Game 1 at Endicott, 6-5

BEVERLY, Mass. – Suffolk softball clung to an early advantage and never let go of it despite the Gulls best effort to take a 6-5 victory over Endicott in the opener of a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) twinbill at the Softball Complex.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 6 | Endicott 5
RECORDS: Suffolk (20-13, 10-3 CCC) | Endicott (20-9, 10-3 CCC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk started off with a two-run shot by Savannah Scripter in the first frame. The Rams did not stop there as a walk by Ally Cifaratta and Ava Brandow kept the Rams offense going and set up Rebecca Zellin's two-run double down the left field line that doubled the distance to 4-0 in the blue-and-gold's favor.  

Endicott sliced the deficit in half in the home half of the first, where the score stood until the top of the third. Home runs factored into Suffolk's scoring yet again. Cifaratta worked a base on balls to reach before Brandow barreled a shot down the left field line to bump the visitors ahead by four.  

The Gulls got three runs back in the bottom of the fourth when Katie Watts knocked a three-run bomb to left field.  

Unable to capitalize on three base runners in the fifth and sixth stanzas, respectively, Suffolk relied on the dealing of Jenny Jacob to hold onto the 6-5 lead. The junior right-handed twirler allowed a Gull to reach in both the fifth and sixth, but kept them there to maintain the one-run margin as the game headed to the seventh. 

After Suffolk went down in order in the top of the inning, Endicott had walk-off protentional in the bottom as Lauren Misiazek led off with a walk and Taylor Chelak doubled to left to put Gulls and second and third. Jacob took over from there as she struck out the side, one looking and two swinging, to preserve the victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Jacob logged a five-run, eight-hit, seven-walk, eight-strikeout, complete-game victory. 
• Molly O'Neill suffered the setback after giving up four runs on four hits and one walk with one K in 0.2 innings of work. 
• Maria Hanchuk tossed 2.1 innings of relief in which she let up two runs on two hits and one walk with four punchouts. 
• Jaylin Couto closed the game for Endicott. She fired off 4.0 innings of scoreless action with two hits and seven Ks to her credit.   

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Brandow went 2-for-4 at the dish with a homer for a pair of RBI and two runs scored. 
• Zellin tallied a 2-for-3 effort with a double and one RBI. 
• Cifaratta contributed two walks, two runs, and one hit.
• Scripter supplied two RBI on one hit, a homer, to go along with one run scored. 
• Jolie Quintana added one hit and one run. 
• Caitlin Murphy chipped in one hit.4 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Endicott in back-to-back meetings for the first time since sweeping a double feature with the Gulls in 1996. 
• The Rams moved to 6-11 all-time against the Gulls. 
• Suffolk moved to 5-9 against the Gulls on the road. 
• The blue-and-gold batted multiple dingers in back-to-back games for the first time since notching a homer in each game of a doubleheader against Lesley April 5, 2022.
• Suffolk sent multiple balls out of the park for the third time this season. 
• Brandow knocked her fifth homer of the year. 
• Brandow tied a career-best two runs scored. 
• Scripter had her seventh collegiate jack, third of the season. 
• Zellin matched a career-high two hits. 
• Cifaratta (11 games), Quintana (four games), Murphy (three games) and Zellin (three games) extended their hit streaks. 

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk concludes the twinbill with Endicott this afternoon.