Game One Boxscore
Game Two Boxscore
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 22 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University softball team used a pair of key home runs to capture a doubleheader sweep of Caldwell College on Sunday afternoon. In game one, junior
Kate Hoffman (Woodbridge, Conn.) delivered a walk-off, two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to give the Owls an 8-7 win. In the nightcap, sophomore
Julie Muscarella (Suffield, Conn.) snapped a 5-5 tie with a three-run blast in the bottom of the fifth, providing the difference in an 8-5 Owls' win.
Southern Connecticut improved to 11-1 overall on the year with the win. Caldwell dropped to 9-4.
The Owls jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings in the opener. Southern Connecticut scored twice in its first at-bat.
Nicole Buch (Darien, Conn.) singled and
Kristin Whitley (North Andover, Mass.) reached on an error. Hoffman then followed with a two-run double down the left field line.
The hosts tacked on four more runs in the second. The Owls loaded the bases with no outs before Whitley's shot to deep center was hauled in at the fence for a sacrifice fly. Later in the frame, Hoffman came through with a two-run double to center that extended the lead to 6-0.
Caldwell scored two times in the third and four more times in the fourth to even the score, before taking the lead with a run in the fifth.
Alyssa Downs (Seymour, Conn.) ignited the seventh inning rally with a single up the middle, and Hoffman followed with a shot over the left field fence to give the Owls the win.
Jayme Larson (Aurora, Colo.) earned the win in the opener, tossing two and one-third innings and allowing just one hit. She improved to 6-0 on the year.
The Cougars struck first in the opener with a run in the top of the first, but the Owls quickly answered in the bottom half of the frame.
Brittany Bucko (Wallington, N.J.) singled, moved to second on a groundout and came in to score on a single by Whitley.
Caldwell scored twice in the top of the second to regain the lead, but the Owls put up a four spot in their next at-bat. Muscarella started the rally with a single, and, after a groundout, scored on a RBI double by Bucko. One out later, Whitley doubled home Bucko to even the score at 3-3. Downs capped the rally with a two-run home run over the center field fence that gave SCSU a 5-3 lead.
Caldwell scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to even the game at 5-5. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth. Hoffman walked with one out to begin the threat. Kristie Vituli (Bronx, N.Y.) singled, sending pinch runner
Sarah Koerner (Coventry, R.I.) to third. Vituli moved up to second on the throw. One out later, Muscarella launched a shot over the left field wall to give the Owls the lead for good.
Christina Boehn (Stamford, Conn.) worked the final four innings to earn her first win as an Owl. She allowed just one run on four hits.
Hoffman finished 4-for-6 in the twinbill with six RBI and a run scored. Downs had three hits, three runs scored and two RBI, while Bucko had three hits, three runs scored and a RBI.
The Owls return to action on Tuesday when they open Northeast-10 Conference play with a doubleheader against LeMoyne.
