Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

New Britian, CT – With just four games separating the first place and last place teams in the Northeast Conference standings, the Wagner College softball team dropped both ends of its two-game series with Central Connecticut State today, falling to the Blue Devils, 8-0 in five innings, and 2-1. The two losses drop the Green & White to 4-10 in the NEC and 15-29 overall. Central improves to 24-14 on the year and 6-4 in the NEC.

To kick off the Seahawks Sunday doubleheader, head coach Glen Payne gave junior Judy Betz (Ashburn, VA / Broad Run) the nod to start in the circle, taking on the Blue Devils freshman ace, Laura Messina.

While Messina set down the first nine batters she faced, the Blue Devils offense opened the scoring in the bottom of the third in a big way, as Tessa Brown jacked a no-out, grand slam over the centerfield fence to get on the board, 4-0. The very next batter, Nicole Springer, followed her sophomore teammate's lead, also taking Betz for a homerun, blasting her team-high sixth of the year, increasing the lead to 5-0. Betz settled down after the back-to-back homers, wrapping up the five-run, six-hit, moving to the fourth inning.

The Blue Devils got things going again in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring two more runs on four hits, pushing the Seahawks deficit to 7-0, heading into the fifth frame.

The Seahawks disrupted Messina's potential no-hitter in the top of the fifth inning with one-out singles by sophomore MacKenzie Alfaro (Riverside, CA / Riverside) and senior Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy). Messina retired the next two Seahawks to get out of the inning, preserving the shutout, 7-0.

Central's offense put the game away in the bottom of the fifth inning, picking up one run on three hits to activate the eight-run rule, giving Wagner the 8-0 game one loss.

Betz threw the complete game, five-inning loss, allowing all eight runs on 14 hits to move to 3-5 on the year. Messina picked up her 17^th win of the season, throwing a two-hitter for the Blue Devils.

GAME TWO

In game two, the Blue Devils went back with Messina in the circle, while Coach Payne gave the ball to freshman right-hander Samantha Bedker (Phoenix, AZ / Sandra Day O'Connor), picking up her 21^st start of the year.

After going scoreless in the day's opener, the Seahawks got on the board first in game two as freshman Jessica Albarran (Corona, CA / Eleanor Roosevelt) led off the inning with a rope single down the left field line. After being moved into scoring position by Carley Nicoletti (Plainville, NY / C.W. Baker), sophomore Kristen Matteoni (Reno, NV / Galena) knocked an infield groundout, scoring Albarran from third and giving Wagner its first lead of the day, 1-0.

Bedker found her groove from the start, allowing just one hit in her first three innings of work, keeping the Blue Devils off the scoreboard and Wagner in the lead.

The Seahawks threatened again in the top of the fourth inning as Alfaro roped her fourth double of the year off the right centerfield fence, but Messina got the next batter, Olsen, to strike out swinging to end Wagner's half.

The Blue Devils came right out in bottom of the inning and tied the game on a leadoff homerun by Springer; her seventh of the season, before taking the lead three batters later on a two-out, RBI triple by Stephanie Chotkevys, pushing the score to 2-1.

Olsen led off the top of the seventh blasting a Messina offering deep to the warning track, but the Blue Devils centerfielder made jumping catch against the fence to keep the base paths empty. Messina took care of the final two Seahawks, striking out both to cap the 2-1 win.

Bedker drops to 6-11, throwing her 12^th complete game of the year, allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out two.
The Seahawks now have the week off from competition before hosting Long Island University on Saturday, April 21.

Prior to the start of the doubleheader against the Blackbirds, Wagner will honor its two seniors who will play in their final home game of their collegiate career.