Seahawks fall to WNEC, 5-1; eliminated from TCCC playoffs

NEWPORT, R.I. - Sophomore Sarah Lempicki (Plantsville, Conn.) tossed six hitless innings to lead the No. 3 Western New England College softball team to a 5-0 win over No. 4 seed Salve Regina in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) elimination game Friday afternoon at Endicott College.

Sophomore Sara Barnes (Berkley, Mass.) drove in a pair of runs for the Golden Bears (24-18-1), who advance to face No. 5 Anna Maria in an elimination game this evening. Senior Kristen Danubio (Glen Rock, N.J.) came off the bench in the seventh and drove in the only run for the Seahawks (20-14), who were eliminated from the tournament with this loss.

Lempicki, Barnes, and senior Kate Post (Bridgewater, Mass.) each drove in runs in the first inning to stake the Golden Bears to a 3-0 lead. In the fifth, junior Trsh Breault (Millville, Mass.) drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a wild pitch by Salve Regina senior starting pitcher Sarah Jakiela (Meriden, Conn.), making it 4-0 WNEC. Later that inning, Barnes recorded her second RBI when she fouled out to right, bringing home Lempicki from third to make it 5-0.

Freshman Courtney Fleming (Wethersfield, Conn.) broke up Lempicki's no-hit bid with a one-out double in the seventh. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Danubio's single. Lempicki then retired the next two SRU hitters to end the game.

Lempicki allowed two hits and one run, walked two and struck out eight. Jakiela, meanwhile, allowed nine hits and five runs in six innings of work. She walked one and struck out three.