UMASS BOSTON SWEEPS SAINTS IN NON-CONFERENCE TWINBILL

BOSTON, Mass.—Lauren Mitsiaris (Taunton, Mass.) capped off a four-run late inning rally with a walk-off single in game one, to lead UMass Boston softball to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Emmanuel College Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Game One: UMass Boston 6, Emmanuel 5

Game Two: UMass Boston 8, Emmanuel 0 (5 Innings)

(UMass Boston 8-4)

(Emmanuel 7-6)

HOW IT HAPPENED 

After going into the bottom of the sixth inning trailing 5-2, the Beacons scored once in the sixth and three more times in the seventh, to complete a furious comeback. With the bases loaded and just one out, Mitsiaris sent a hard grounder just past the shortstop to score Kayla Harris (Cumberland, Maine) and to start the celebration at home plate.  

The Beacons' carried over the momentum into game two, as Vic Zechello (Foxborough, Mass.) shut down the Saints bats and the Beacons scored runs in three of their four trips to the plate. 

GAME ONE

Mitsiaris was the hero in game one, as she finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and the game-winning, walk-off single. The single capped off a three-run seventh in which the Beacons recorded five singles and capitalized on one Saints error and two wild pitches.

Kaitlyn Morse (Arlington, Mass.) added two hits and two runs scored, while Taylor Pawlina (Woonsocket, R.I.) tacked on two hits as well.

On the mound, freshman Annie Thomas (Lunenburg, Mass.) gave up a season-high two earned runs and five runs total. Despite not having her best stuff and struggling with the cold and wind, Thomas tied her career-high with nine strikeouts and she shut the Saints down for the final four innings. 

Ashley Skey (Brookline, N.H.) and Kerrianne Vulpis (East Rockaway, N.Y.) had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Saints, who saw their four-game winning streak come to a close. Megan Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.) hit her first collegiate home run and finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Jill Kilcoyne (Worcester, Mass.) took the loss for Emmanuel, as she allowed six runs, four earned and gave up 11 hits. 

Kieselback got the Saints off to a good start, as she blasted a home run in the top of the first inning.

The Beacons answered back with two of their own, as Gia Raczkowski (Stoneham, Mass.) and Mitsiaris both registered RBI singles in the bottom half of the inning. 

Emmanuel kept the offense going though, as they scored once in the second and three more times in the third to push the lead to 5-2.

After managing just two baserunners in the next three innings, the Beacons' offense came alive in the final two frames. Freshman Alyssa Tulley (Lowell, Mass.) cut the deficit to 5-3 in the sixth, as she drove in Raczkowski with an RBI single with two outs. 

After Thomas put the Saints down in the top of the seventh, UMass Boston completed the comeback with a three-run seventh.

Pawlina and Morse started the inning with back-to-back singles and both players moved up on an error on the catcher. After a foul out for the first out of the inning, Alexa St. Angelo (Cranston, R.I.) made it a one-run game with an RBI single up the middle. Raczkowski walked to load up the bases and then Morse scampered home on a wild pitch to tie the game. Roxanne Vento (Arlington, Mass.) followed with an infield single to load the bases back up and bring Mitsiaris to the plate. 

With the infield drawn in, Mitsiaris belted a two-bouncer past the diving shortstop to score Harris, who had pinch-run for St. Angelo.

GAME TWO 

The Beacons carried their momentum over from the first game, as they struck for four runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back in an 8-0, five-inning win.

St. Angelo and Raczkowski both had huge games, as St. Angelo finished 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI, and Raczkowski went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. The duo also combined for two doubles and a triple. 

On the mound, Zechello tossed her second home shutout in as many games, as she allowed just two hits and two walks over five innings. The freshman righty also matched her career-high with five strikeouts.

Samantha Adams was handed her first loss of the season, as she allowed nine hits and eight earned runs over four innings of work. 

UMass Boston needed just five batters to grab a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Morse walked to lead off, and Kristina Bove (Medford, Mass.) followed with a single. St. Angelo blasted a two-run double to right-center to score both and then Raczkowski followed with an RBI double of her own. After an error on the right fielder moved Raczkowski to third, Vento made it 4-0 with an RBI groundout.

The Beacons pushed the lead to 5-0 in the third inning; as Raczkowski singled and then took second on a wild pitch, third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.

UMass Boston accomplished their goal of a mercy-rule win with a big three-run fourth. With two outs and a runner on second, St. Angelo singled to left-center field to plate Pawlina. On the next pitch, Raczkowski hammered a triple to center to score St. Angelo. Raczkowski trotted home on a wild pitch moments later to push the lead to 8-0.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• UMass Boston has won four in a row for the first time since April 9-13, 2013. The Beacons won five straight during that span, including sweeps of Framingham State University and UMass Dartmouth. 
• The Beacons are 4-0 at home for the first time since 2011, when they opened the season with sweeps of Salem State University and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. 
• Raczkowski has now hit safely in four-straight games. She finished the doubleheader 4-for-6 with four runs, two RBI and two extra-base hits. 
• Saturday's walk-off win was the Beacons' first walk-off victory since April 10, 2014. On that day, Erika Vecchiet ('14) drove in Lyndsey Capra ('15) to cap off a 9-8 eight-inning win over Framingham State University. 
• UMass Boston improved to 13-6 all-time against their Boston neighbors. The contest marked the first meeting between the two Boston schools since 2002. 
• Emmanuel leadoff hitter Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.) was held hitless in a doubleheader for the first time since April 16, 2014.
• EC rookie designated player Ashley Skey has now hit safely in her last eight games while batting .565 over that span.

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will get one final tune-up before Little East Conference play, as they travel to Babson College on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. while the Saints return to action the same day when they host Lesley University at Roberto Clemente Field at 6:30 p.m.

*Release courtesy of UMass Boston Sports Information