Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

Hamden, CT – The Wagner College softball team picked up one win in today's Northeast Conference doubleheader against Quinnipiac, taking the first game, 5-4, in nine innings, before falling 9-2 in the nightcap. The NEC split moves the Seahawks to a 15-27 overall record and 4-8 in the conference, while Quinnipiac slides to 20-12 and 7-5 in the league.

The Seahawks bats came alive right from the start as senior Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) roped her sixth double of the year into left centerfield, before advancing to third on a bloop single by Carley Nicoletti (Plainville, NY / C.W. Baker). Fellow senior Vanessa Lenart (Fontana, CA / Henry J. Kaiser HS) followed suit, loading the bases with one out in the top of the second with her ninth hit of the year, before Kristen Matteoni (Reno, NV / Galena) earned a base on balls, bringing home Olsen and giving the Seahawks the early 1-0 lead.

Wagner's offense stayed hot in the third inning, as hits from Brittany Huss (Anthem, AZ / Boulder Creek) and Jessica Albarran (Corona, CA / Eleanor Roosevelt) gave the Seahawks two runners on base with just one out, chasing the Bobcats starting pitcher Katie Alfiere. Quinnipiac's Christy Cabrera came in to relieve her sophomore teammate, but Nicoletti wasn't fazed, blasting her first double of the year to centerfield, scoring two and putting the Green & White up 3-0.

Nicoletti would score two batters later when she crossed home plate on a throwing error by the Bobcats catcher, trying to catch Lenart stealing second, extending Wagner's lead to 4-0.

Freshman pitcher Samantha Bedker (Phoenix, AZ / Sandra Day O'Connor) kept dealing for the Seahawks in the circle, allowing just two hits through the first three innings, striking out four.

The Seahawks threatened to add more in the top of the fourth inning after Albarran laced a two-out double to left field, moving sophomore MacKenzie Alfaro (Riverside, CA / Riverside) to third. Cabrera recovered after Albarran's 10^th double of the year, getting Olsen to ground out to end the inning with Wagner still up by four.

The Bobcats got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth, as Alex Alba leadoff the frame blasting her fourth homerun of the season, giving the home team some life half way through the first game. Following Alba's solo shot, Bedker surrendered a walk and a RBI double, as Quinnipiac cut Wagner's lead in half, 4-2.

After the Bobcat's second run, head coach Glen Payne replaced Bedker with junior righty Judy Betz (Ashburn, VA / Broad Run), making her 14^th appearance of the season. Quinnipiac kept swinging, picking up two more runs on an infield error, tying the game at four apiece heading into the fifth inning.

The teams went scoreless in the final three innings of regulation, as Betz and Quinnipiac's third pitcher of the day, Heather Schwartzburg, began to shutdown their opponents offense, taking the game into extra innings.

The Seahawks finally picked up some steam in the top of the ninth inning, when Huss led off the inning earning a walk, before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Alfaro. Two batters later, Olsen gave Wagner the go-ahead, rifling a shot up the middle, scoring Huss from second and putting the Green & White up 5-4.

After Wagner re-took the lead, Betz took care of the rest, retiring the only three batters she faced, sealing the 5-4 victory. Betz went six innings, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out five to pick up her third win of the year.

GAME TWO

To begin game two, the Bobcats' Schwartzburg got herself out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first, before her team's offense jumped opened up the score in the bottom half of the frame. Coach Payne elected to start Olivia Zwick (Surrey, Canada / Earl Marriot) in the circle, but the first-year righty had some control problems, walking the first two batters, before giving up a RBI double to the third batter of the game.

Down by one with no outs, Payne made a quick pitching change, going back to Bedker to face the cleanup hitter with two runners on. The new hurler didn't affect the Bobcats at the plate, taking Bedker for three hits, as three runs scored, giving Quinnipiac a 4-0 lead.

Still looking for their first out of the game, Payne replaced with Bedker with sophomore Ashley Rollins (Fairfax, VA / Fairfax), making her 12^th appearance of the year. Quinnipiac's offensive momentum stayed with them against Rollins, picking up four more runs, including a three-run homerun by Ashley Heiberger, capping off an eight-run, six-hit first inning.

The Seahawks started to get some offense rolling in the top of the fourth inning after a leadoff hit by Huss and a walk by Alfaro gave Wagner two base runners with nobody out. Olsen loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch before Huss was brought home on a Nicoletti walk, putting Wagner on the board, 8-1. Wagner added one more in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to left field by Lenart, scoring Alfaro and making it an 8-2 Quinnipiac lead.

Rollins battled through some control issues in the bottom of the fifth inning, walking three, including one across the plate, to add to the Bobcats lead, 9-2.

Olsen recorded a blast double in the top of the sixth inning, but the senior would be stranded on the base paths as the Bobcats defense held their seven-run lead moving into the seventh inning.

Quinnipiac's defense locked down the Wagner bats in the top half of the inning, setting down the first three Seahawks they faced, capping the 9-2 win. Zwick, who started the game for the Seahawks was credited with the loss, giving up three runs on one hit and walking two.

Wagner concludes its weekend doubleheader tomorrow, April 15, when the Seahawks stay in the Nutmeg state to take on the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State for a two-game set beginning at noon.