Griffin collects three hits, drives in two

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. (April 25, 2009) – Junior pitcher Breanne Gleason (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) went 2-for-2 with a home run, drove in two runs, scored three times and struck out nine in the circle to lead New Haven to a 13-5, six-inning victory over the Franklin Pierce University softball team in the second game of a Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader at Franklin Pierce Softball Field. New Haven won the first game as well, 3-2, as senior third baseman Jessica Medina (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay Sr.) hit 2-for-3 with a solo home run.

New Haven opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning when Medina led off the inning and pulled a pitch over the left-field fence for her fourth home run of the season.

Franklin Pierce evened the score at 1-1 immediately with a run in the home half of the second. Senior left fielder Jackie Prybella (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) led off, was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored three batters later on an RBI single back up the middle by freshman third baseman Meaghan O’Neal (Littleton, Mass./Littleton).

New Haven took a 3-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. Gleason, playing as the designated player in the first game, led off with a double over the head of the center fielder and was replaced on the bases by senior Carolyn Fruin (Waterbury, Conn./Sacred Heart Acad.), who moved to third on a single to left by Medina, who was lifted for freshman pinch runner Katie Bannon (Warwick, R.I./Toll Gate), who stole second. Fruin scored and Bannon moved to third when junior first baseman Meghan Walter (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) followed with a sacrifice fly to left field. Bannon then scored on a sacrifice fly into foul territory in left field by sophomore second baseman Courtney Garland (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow).

Franklin Pierce pulled to within 3-2 with a run in the bottom half of the sixth. With one out, freshman right fielder Rachel Baxter (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland) poked a double into the gap in right-center field and came home to score when senior shortstop Stephanie Howard (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) followed with a single back through the middle.

Senior pitcher Courtney Jacobs (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) went the distance in the circle and took the loss (3-16) for Franklin Pierce in the first game. Over seven innings, she allowed three runs on five hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out eight.

Freshman Courtney Creedon (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) started, threw 5.1 innings and picked up the win (3-1) for New Haven. She surrendered two runs on six hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out four. Gleason came in and struck out the final five batters of the game to pick up her first save of the season.

In the second game, New Haven jumped on the board and immediately broke the game open with seven runs in the top of the first inning. The big blow of the inning was a two-RBI double by Walter, while a third run scored on the play as the Franklin Pierce defense attempted to throw behind Walter after she rounded second. Also in the inning, freshman catcher Allison Vaughan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) drove in a run with a triple down the right-field line and Garland hit her second home run of the season, a tow-run shot to right-center field. Junior third baseman Nicole Downs (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI single back through the middle.

The Chargers added a run in the top of the second inning on an RBI single through the middle by Walter to extend the lead to 8-0.

Franklin Pierce would get as close as 8-5 with five runs in the bottom half of the second, all charged to Creedon, who came in to start the second in relief of Gleason. Creedon faced nine batters was able to retire just one before Gleason was brought back into the game. Sophomore second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) delivered the keynote for Franklin Pierce in the inning, with a bases-loaded, two-run single back through the middle. Also in the inning, freshman catcher Jamie Verner (Natick, Mass./Natick) drove in a run with a single up the middle, freshman center fielder Jayme Bilafer (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) brought in a run with a ground ball and Prybella worked an RBI walk.

New Haven picked up two runs in the top of the fourth inning to push the lead to 10-5. Gleason led off with a home-run to left-center field, her team-leading sixth of the season. Later in the inning, Garland drove in her third run of the game with a single to left-center.

The Chargers again added a pair of runs to make it 12-5 in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single through the left side by freshman right fielder Shannon Angehr (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) and a sacrifice fly to left by Gleason.

New Haven created the 13-5 final with a run in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI infield single by Bannon. The Chargers garnered a six-inning victory via the eight-run rule when Franklin Pierce could not push a run across the plate in the home half of the sixth.

Freshman pitcher Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y./Thousand Islands) started in the circle and took the loss (2-8) in the second game for Franklin Pierce. She lasted one inning, allowed seven runs on four hits, walked four and threw a wild pitch.

Gleason tossed all but the first out of the second inning to pick up the win (27-13) for New Haven. Over 5.2 shutout innings on the rubber, she allowed three hits, did not issue a walk and struck out nine.

The Ravens (5-33, 1-23 Northeast-10) return to the field on Sunday, April 26, when they host Saint Michael’s in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at Franklin Pierce Softball Field in Rindge, N.H. New Haven (21-7, 30-14 Northeast-10) has concluded the regular season and returns to action next week in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships.