April 16, 2009

 

Box Score

 

 

Junior P Breanne Gleason (Bristol, CT) picked up two victories as the University of New Haven defeated UMass Lowell, 3-2 and 3-1, Thursday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference twin bill at River View Field.

With the losses, UMass Lowell slipped to 5-26-1 overall and 4-13-1 in the NE-10 entering Saturday’s doubleheader at Saint Rose (12:00) and Sunday’s at Le Moyne (12:00).

New Haven improved to 22-12 overall and 14-6 in the Conference and hosts Pace Saturday (12:00).

Despite the losses, senior Stacey Lajoie (Gardner, MA) broke UMass Lowell’s all-time home run mark with the 20th of her career and second this season. The solo shot came in the third inning of the opener and eclipsed the previous record of 19, achieved by former standout Laurie Tanguay (Lowell, MA) last season.

Gleason hurled a complete game in the first, allowing four hits, two runs (one earned) and two walks while striking out 11. She replaced freshman Courtney Creedon (Rome, NY) in the fourth inning of the nightcap and scattered one hit, no runs and no walks while striking out five.

In the opener, junior C Nicole Downs (Seymour, CT) batted 2 for 4 with two runs and Gleason (Bristol, CT) went 2 for 3 with one RBI as the Chargers held off the River Hawks.

New Haven jumped out to a 2-0 lead as sophomore RF Samantha Minervini (Nutley, NJ) had an RBI single in the first and Gleason an RBI single in the third.

UMass Lowell cut the lead in half in the fourth behind Lajoie’s record-breaking solo home run.

The Chargers came back with a run in the fifth when freshman Shannon Angehr (Levittown, NY), pinch running for junior 1B Meghan Walter (Bay Shore, NY), scored on an error.

UMass Lowell cut the lead to 3-2 in the seventh behind an RBI double by freshman Paula Ruszkowski (Reading, MA) and had runners on second and third with one out, but was unable to capitalize.

Freshman Elyssa Boris (Gardner, MA) slipped to 2-13 as she surrendered seven hits, three runs (two earned) and no walks while striking out five.

In the nightcap, sophomore 2B Courtney Garland (East Meadow, NY) broke a 1-1 deadlock in the sixth inning when she scored on a fielder’s choice bunt. The Chargers added an insurance run in the seventh when Minervini hit an RBI single to score Walter.

UMass Lowell opened the scoring in the first inning behind an RBI single by Boris. New Haven leveled in the second when Garland scored on a passed ball.

Sophomore Rachel Schafler (Floral Park, NY) took her first loss of the year (0-1) as she allowed one unearned run and no walks in 1.1 innings after replacing sophomore Nicole Monroe (Townsend, MA) in the fifth. Monroe went 4.2 innings and surrendered four hits, an unearned run and two walks while striking out six.