BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Amanda Vaudreuil (Windham, N.H.) went 8-for-9 with a pair of home runs, five runs scored, and 10 RBI as the University of New England softball team upped its win streak to three with a doubleheader sweep of Wentworth as the Nor'Easters took a 37-1 win in the opener and a 21-4 triumph in the nightcap.
UNE improves to 8-4 on the season and opens CCC play with a 2-0 record. The Leopards slip to 2-12 (0-4).
The Nor'Easters wasted little time getting on the board, scoring nine times in the first inning which included an RBI double from freshman Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Minn.) and a three-run triple from sophomore Kelly Murphy (Cronwell, Conn.) before Helmbrecht added a two-run single in her second time at bat.
Wentworth scored its lone run of the game on a RBI double from junior Liz Glavin (Ipswich, Mass.), which scored freshman Kendall Kelly (New Lebanon, N.H.) who had drawn a one-out walk.
UNE scored 10 times in the second inning, including when junior Adrienne Chase (Holden, Mass.) hit a two-run single before scoring eight times in the third, as Vaudreuil hit a double and a home run. The Nor'Easters tacked on nine in the fourth and had a single run in the fifth.
Helmbrecht was 5-for-6 with seven RBI, sophomore Jess Lemos (Chelmsford, Mass.) was 4-for-6 with four RBI, and Vaudreil was 4-for-5 with three RBI. Freshmen Sydney Farley (Manchester, N.H.) and freshman Kalie Hernandez (Orlando, Fla.) had three hits apiece. Murphy drove in five runs.
Sophomore Abby Lambert (Brockton, Mass.) picked up the win, allowing one run on one hit in three innings to improve to 3-1. Freshman Katelyn Austin (Bethlehem, N.H.) struck out five batters and didn't allow a hit in two scoreless innings in relief.
Glavin had the lone Leopard hit while freshman Maya Bloom (Hopkinton, N.H.), junior Sam Curran (Quincy, Mass.), and junior Isabella Grassetti (Monson, Mass.) all saw time in the circle. Bloom was tagged with the loss (1-2).
Game two saw UNE take advantage of a pair of Leopard errors in the first and score four unearned runs. The Nor'Easters scores six times in the both the second and third innings as Vaudreil had a two-run double in the second and an RBI single in the third. Her big blast came in the fourth when she hit a grand slam to left field as part of a five-run inning.
Wentworth scored three times in the home half of the third inning as sophomore Karsyn Sawyer (Chatham, N.Y.) had an RBI groundout, Glavin had an RBI single, and senior Haylee Bacik (Lowell, Mass.) delivered a sacrifice fly.
Vaudreil finished 4-for-4 with four runs scored and seven RBI, while Murphy, Helmbrecht, and sophomore Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.) had two hits apiece. Vallante and sophomore Meghan Bolano (Wakefield, R.I.) drove in three runs each.
Sophomore Lauren Doneski (Waltham, Mass.) improved to 3-2 as she allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and struck out five.
Five different players recorded hits for the Leopards, with Sawyer, Glavin, and Bacik each driving in runs. Bacik took the loss (1-6) in the circle, pitching the first three innings while Curran pitched the final two.
Both teams are in action on Thursday as Wentworth hosts Maine-Presque Isle and UNE hosts Southern Maine.
