April 2nd, 2013 (Weston, Massachusetts)-The Mount Ida College softball team took Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Pride of Regis College by a final score of 7-4. Game 2 would go to in favor of Regis by a final score of 10-2 in a game that lasted just five innings. With the Game 1 win, the Mustangs improve to an overall record of (5-10, 1-5 GNAC) while the Pride go to (5-11, 2-2 NECC).
Game 1
The Mustangs would strike early on the first inning as Kirsten Guerrero (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) singled in senior captain Devan Meeker (Bantam, CT/Litchfield) giving the Mustangs the 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Regis would strike back with two runs, seeing Alyssa McKinnon (Raynham, MA/Bridgewater-Raynham Reg.) single home Kara Donovan (Woburn, MA/Arlington Catholic) tying the game at 1-1. Freshman catcher Raegan Heck (Phillipston, MA/Narragansett Reg.) would double to drive in McKinnon and put the Pride ahead 2-1 after one inning of play.
The Mustangs responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second, taking advantage of a passed ball that scored Meghan Moriarty (Holbrook, MA/Holbrook) and a Megan Hall (Danielson, CT/Killingly) RBI single that plated Chaise Courbron (Monroe, CT/Masuk). Trailing 3-2, current New England Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Week Kirbie Garvey (Littleton, MA/Littleton) knotted the game at 3-all with an RBI double to the gap in right-center to score Kelsey Heath (Lowell, MA/Lowell).
Regis took its second lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth with a two out rally sparked by Garvey. The rookie smoked a double to right-center for the second-straight at bat, and came around to score on a Haley Fountain (Warren, MA/Quaboag Reg.) wall-ball single that put the Pride on top 4-3.
Mount Ida responded in the top of the fifth as Guerrero worked a lead-off walk before Nickole Soto (Marlboro, MA/Assabet Valley Reg.) dropped a single down the right field line to put runners on the corners with no outs. Kaitlyn Berube (Fall River, MA/Diman Reg.) cleared the bases with a double over the leftfielder's head, plating a pair of runs, and putting the Mustangs back on top, 5-4. The Mustangs tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth as Tiffany Hamann (Newton, MA/Newton North) scored on a wild pitch and Soto added an RBI groundout to make it a 7-4 game. The Pride put runners on in both the sixth and seventh inning, but could not cut into the deficit as Mount Ida took game one, 7-4.
Garvey, Fountain, and McKinnon all went 2-for-3 in game one and combined to drive in three runs. Raegan Heck went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Kelsey Heath was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, MA/Lynn Classical) suffered the setback, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 14 hits, while striking out nine.
Devan Meeker and Megan Hall combined to go 6-for-9 in the opener to lead the Mustangs. Guerrero and Soto added two RBI's apiece. Allie Norris (Plymouth, MA/Plymouth South) picked up her third win of the season, tossing seven innings and allowing four earned runs on 13 hits.
Game 2
The Mustangs started off Game 2 just as they did in Game 1, plating the first run of the game on a double-steal that allowed Cassie Durand (Dracut, MA/Dracut) to score, giving Mount Ida the 1-0 lead early on. Just as they did in the previous game, Regis would answer right away as Heck would record a two-run double followed by another RBI double by Jill Bruning (Medford, MA/Matignon) giving the hosts a 3-1 lead. Sophomore shortstop Samantha Bliss (Framingham, MA/Framingham) grounded out to short, which would have ended the inning, but an errant throw to second base allowed Bruning to score, and gave the Pride a 4-1 lead after the first.
Berube led off the Mount Ida top of the second with a single and two batters later, came around to score on a Megan Hall triple to the gap in right center that made it a 4-2 game. Regis answered right back in their half of the second with McKinnon hitting a sacrifice fly, and Bruning driving in a pair with her second double of the day to make it a 7-2 game.
Haley Fountain helped her cause with an RBI double in the bottom of the third that scored Bliss to make it an 8-2 game, and Shannon Bradish (Lawrence, MA/Central Catholic) drove in a run with an RBI single to right to make it a seven run lead. Bliss picked up an RBI with a groundout to push the Pride lead to 10-2 headed into the top of the fifth.
Hall led off the inning for the visitors with a double over the centerfielder's head, but she was stranded at third as Fountain closed out her third win of the season by retiring the final three batters she faced en route to the 10-2 win.
Jill Bruning led the Pride attack, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Kirbie Garvey, Fountain, Raegan Heck, and Shannon Bradish each had two-hit days and combined to score five runs and drive in four. Samantha Bliss went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a run scored. Fountain improves to 3-4 on the year, scattering five hits and allowing only two runs while striking out seven.
Megan Hall went 2-for-2 in the night cap with an RBI. Tiffany Hamann, Kaitlyn Berube, and Meghan Moriarty added the other hits for the Mustangs. Devan Meeker falls to 2-8 on the year while allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 13 hits over four innings of work.
The Pride return conference play on Friday afternoon with a NECC doubleheader versus Lesley University starting at 4:00 p.m. Mount Ida hosts Wheelock College on Wednesday afternoon in a non-league doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m.
Some Content Courtesy of Regis College Sports Information