The Sacred Heart University softball team split a doubleheader with Quinnipiac on May 1 in Hamden, Connecticut. The Pioneers lost the first game 12-1 in five innings but responded with an 11-1 win in six innings during the second game.
This series is important as both teams are competing for position in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings. With these results, Sacred Heart moves into a tie for fifth place with Siena and holds the tiebreaker over them.
In the opening game, Quinnipiac took control early by scoring three runs in the first inning and adding four more in the second. An error contributed to their lead. Sacred Heart managed only one run, scored by Katherine Burras in the fourth inning. Emily Campion pitched all four innings for Sacred Heart, allowing five earned runs and recording one strikeout.
The second game saw Sacred Heart settle down defensively while breaking through offensively with three runs in the third inning after back-to-back doubles from Elle Leckrone and Cierra Bender. Charlene Davis added a two-run double to centerfield. Despite loading the bases with no outs in their half of the fourth, Quinnipiac was limited to just one run due to strong defense from Sacred Heart.
A decisive eight-run sixth inning secured victory for Sacred Heart as Burras hit a three-RBI triple and both Bender and Davis recorded RBI doubles. Pitcher Emily Heath threw her fourth complete-game win of the season, going six innings without allowing an earned run.
Other notable achievements include Leckrone reaching her 100th career hit and Davis raising her batting average to .303, ranking second on her team. The Pioneers matched last season’s total of 21 wins for their third consecutive year reaching that mark.
The series between Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac will conclude tomorrow at noon.
