For Immediate Release

April 22, 2006

RIC sweeps softball doubleheader from Plymouth State

Anchorwomen nip Panthers in opener and win nightcap in a rout

             PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Rhode Island College swept a Little East Conference softball doubleheader from Plymouth State University Saturday afternoon at D&M Park, taking the opener by one run and winning the nightcap in a rout.

            The Anchorwomen held on for a 2-1 victory in game one, and then pounded out 17 hits in a 10-2 victory in game two.  RIC improves to 24-7-1 overall and 6-1-1 in LEC play, while PSU falls to 4-21 overall and 1-7 in conference games.

            RIC took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning of the opener when junior Kristyn Alexander (East Wareham, Mass.) doubled, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Andree Sitnik (Lincoln, R.I.)  The Panthers evened the score in the last of the fifth when sophomore Lori Pettengill (Holderness, N.H.) walked and scored on a double by freshman Leanne Barry (Auburn, N.H./Pinkerton).

            The Anchorwomen scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded hit by freshman Justine Burgess (Uxbridge, Mass.), but couldn’t score again despite having the bases loaded with nobody out.  PSU freshman pitcher Lisa Illinger (Hanover, Conn.) came on to get out of the jam with three straight infield outs to keep the Panthers within a run.

            PSU had the tying run at third base and the winning run at first in the bottom of the seventh, but RIC junior Nicole Riley (North Providence, R.I.) retired the Panthers for the complete-game effort, improving her record to 17-2.

            The Anchorwomen scored four runs in the top of the first in the nightcap and never looked back.  Burgess and senior Megan Ponte (Wakefield, R.I.) collected four hits apiece, with Burgess smacking three doubles and driving in three runs and Ponte hitting her first home run of the season.  Senior Casie Lyons (Hudson, Mass.) had three hits, including a double and a triple, and two RBI.  Burgess also picked up the win in the circle for RIC with a complete-game performance to improve to 6-5.

            Freshman Heather Bartolo (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton) and sophomore Devin Caswell (Wilton, N.H.) had all five PSU hits in the nightcap.  Bartolo collected three singles, and Caswell had two hits, including a two-run home run in the first inning, her second of the season.

            PSU’s make-up game at Eastern Connecticut, scheduled for Sunday (Apr. 23), has been postponed again and rescheduled for Sunday, Apr. 30.  The Panthers’ next outing is Tuesday (Apr. 25) in an LEC twinbill at Southern Maine (3:30 p.m.)

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