Softball swings way to NE10 sweep at New Haven

WEST HAVEN, Connecticut - The American International College softball team opened Northeast-10 Conference play with a sweep of the University of New Haven, winning 5-1 and 7-4 on Friday, March 29.

AIC is now 8-6 overall and 2-0 in the NE10.

The Chargers opened the scoring in the first game on a sacrifice fly in the second inning. 

New Haven's lead lasted until the fourth, when AIC's offense erupted. Samantha Sanchez singled to right, and came around to score on a Brooklyn Cividanes double. Julia Krijgsman followed with a base hit, and Brianna Harzula's slow roller to short allowed Cividanes to score. Lauryn Ramalho then hit an infield single to give AIC first and third once more. Abigail Wells knocked a single to right, plating Krijgsman, and took second on the throw home, which proved critical as Destiny McGrath hit a popup that was mishandled by the New Haven defense and brought the two baserunners in.

AIC's pitching shut the door from there; the Chargers did load the bases in the fourth with three two-out walks but did not score, and managed just three runners the rest of the way as the Yellow Jackets won 5-1.

Keen to keep the momentum going, AIC scored three in the second inning of the second game. Sanchez started with a single, and Cividanes reached on a sacrifice bunt attempt thanks to an error. Krijgsman then smacked a double to bring Sanchez in. Harzula laid down a bunt that scored Cividanes, and after Wells walked, McGrath hit a shot to third that was mishandled, allowing Krijgsman to score.

An inning later, AIC added another. Sanchez led off with a double, and then took third base on a dropped third strike during Cividanes' at-bat. Krijgsman hit a fly to center, and the AIC catcher tagged up and scored for a 4-0 edge.

Kodi Gora came up with the loudest hit of them all in the fifth, smacking a hanging changeup over the left-field fence for her third round-tripper of the year and a 5-0 lead. New Haven did negate that with back-to-back doubles to lead off the bottom half of the inning, but did not score again in the frame. 

In the seventh, a walk and an error put two runners on for the Yellow Jackets, and Cividanes hit a line shot to left center, scoring both Gora and Sanchez. Those two runs proved key, as the Chargers pushed three across in the seventh, but the gap was too big as AIC won 7-4.

AIC continues the weekend in Connecticut as the Yellow Jackets visit Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, March 30 at noon for a pair.