Box Score

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ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Alyssa Downs (Seymour, Conn.) plated Brittany Bucko (Wallington, N.J.) with the game-winning sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning and Kelsey Cockrill (Haymarket, Va.) made it stand up as the Southern Connecticut State University softball team defeated Caldwell College, 3-2, in the NCAA Tournament opener for both teams on Friday.

The Owls will now play host Molloy tomorrow at 11 a.m. in a winners' bracket game. Southern Connecticut improves to 32-20 overall. Caldwell is now 43-11.

SCSU, the No. 7 seed, opened the scoring with a run in the fourth inning. Bucko singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nicole Buch (Darien, Conn.), and came in to score on a RBI single by Kaley Marden (Fremont, Calif.).



The Owls threatened in the fifth but did not score. In the bottom of that frame, Caldwell evened the game at 1-1.

Southern Connecticut went back in front with a run in the sixth inning. Three straight singles from Buch, Downs and Marden – the last being a RBI knock – put the Owls back ahead, 2-1.



Caldwell once again tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, but SCSU strung together one more rally in the seventh.

Bucko started the threat again with a one-out single. She then stole second and moved to third when Buch reached on an error. Downs then lofted a long fly ball to the warning track in left center that was plenty deep enough to score Bucko.

Cockrill then worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh to secure the win. She scattered nine hits and allowed just one earned run in a complete game effort.

Marden finished 3-for-4 with two RBI. Bucko added two hits and two runs scored.