EAST BOSTON – Hartford scored in every inning, except one, to handed Suffolk softball an 11-4 non-conference loss in the Rams regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at East Boston Memorial Park.  
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 4 | Hartford 11
RECORDS: Suffolk (18-22) | Hartford (25-9-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawks put up a pair of runs in the first and second frames, respectively, to force Suffolk to play catch-up early on.
The Rams sliced the gap in half in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own. A sac fly from Jolie Quintanaput the Rams on the board and Becky Zellin followed suit with a one-run single to right to 4-2.
The two-run offensive output from both sides carried into the top of the third for Hartford and the blue-and-gold found itself down four once again, 6-2.
The teams traded one run in the fourth to keep the margin at four, 7-3. Suffolk's run came behind a fielder's choice when Catherine Carignan put the ball in play. With runners on the corners the outfielder sent the ball to short. The Hawks defense decided to go for the force at second, which allowed Maddie Southers, who reached on a fielder's choice of her own, to come in.
In the fifth the Hawks extended their advantage to six, 9-3.
Once against a Rams response came in the home half of the inning as Delaney Doidge led off the frame with a solo shot to pull the host back within five.
A scoreless sixth was followed by another two-running inning by Hartford.
Down 11-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Julia Mills rocked a single up the middle, but the Rams went down in order after that to keep it a seven-run margin of defeat.
PITCHERS PICTURE
- Cynthia Rucinski took the loss after giving up four runs on five hits with two punchouts in 2.0 innings.
- Ella Turnbull (1.1 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 4 BB), Lily Newhall (2.2 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 K) and Julia Newcomb (1.0 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 1 B) all came into pitch for the Rams.
- Alexis Sealey threw a four-run (three-earned), eight-hit, two-walk, three-strikeout, complete-game victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Mills went 2-for-4.
- Doidge brought in one run on her lone hit, a homer, and scored once.
- Carignan, Quintana, and Zellin all added one hit and one RBI.
- Quintana's stat line also had one sac fly.
- Southers supplied one hit and one run scored.
- Ashley Hubner and Diana Rucinski scored once each.
- Hubner, Diana Rucinski and Zellin all stole one base.
- Ella Turnbull tallied one hit.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk moved to 1-1 all-time against Hartford.
- The Rams have sent a ball out of the park in every game it has played against the Hawks in the all-time series.
- Doidge produced her third homer of the year. The junior compiled back-to-back games with jacks for the first the first time in her collegiate career.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk awaits the official seeding of the 2024 CCC Tournament, which will be released at the conclusion of all conference contests.
