BANGOR, Maine The New England College softball team split a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) doubleheader with Husson University on Saturday afternoon at O'Keefe Field. The Pilgrims topped the Eagles in game one 3-1 and fell in game two 7-4.

GAME ONE

Joslyn Gallagher's double to centerfield drove in Rebecca Allen with two outs in the first while Allen's double to left centerfield in the third gave New England College the 2-0 lead.

Husson cut the deficit in half with an RBI single by Nicole Andrade in the bottom of the sixth but the Pilgrims added an insurance run in the seventh on a run-producing single by Gabriella Marcheschi.

Marcheschi retired the Eagles in order in the bottom half of the inning for the 3-1 victory.

Sami Cyr and Kristen Chipman each went 2-for-3 for the Eagles, while Cyr added a run and a double. Alannah Healy took the loss after going the distance inside the circle allowing nine hits, three earned with five punch-outs.

Brianna Castellano and Marcheschi each went 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Pilgrims, while Marcheschi, Allen and Gallagher added a double. Marcheschi picked up the win with a complete game five hitter allowing one earned with a walk and fanning five.

GAME TWO

A two-run shot to right field by Gallagher in the first gave the Pilgrims the early 2-0 lead. The Eagles respond right back in the bottom half of the inning when Cyr sent a Debra Mazzeo pitch to left center for a two-run double leveling the game at two.

A RBI triple to right centerfield by Allison Hill broke the 2-2 tie in the second when Casey Heath crossed the plate giving the Eagles the 3-2 lead before Lyndsay Merrill ripped a RBI triple to right centerfield in the fourth and scored on a passed ball to extend the Eagle lead to 5-2.

The Pilgrims responded right back with a single run in the top of the fifth when Jamie Ray doubled to right centerfield plating Allen cutting the Husson lead to two.

The Eagles tacked on single runs in the bottom of fifth and the sixth when Chipman scored both runs on wild pitches and a RBI groundout by Gallagher in the seventh made the game 7-4.

Chipman and Heath each went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the Eagles in game two. Merrill, Hill and Cyr added two hits while Cyr record a double and Merrill, Hill and
Chipman were credited with a triple. Healy once again went the distance in the circle to pick up her ninth win on season after allowing ten hits, four earned with a walk and five punch-outs.

Castellano led the Pilgrims with three hits while Jamie Ray and Mazzeo each had two hits. Allen and Ray added a double and Gallagher contributed a homerun. Mazzeo took the loss after yielding seven earned off 13 hits over 6.0 innings with five walks and five strikeouts.

QUOTE FROM THE COACH

"I am very proud of how we came out and played. It would have been nice to get both games today but it was a good day overall." Coach Master

WHAT'S NEXT

The Pilgrims will hit the diamond on Sunday, April 24 when they travel to take on non-conference opponent Plymouth State University.