SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College softball team opened Judy Groff Field with a split on Saturday, March 29, winning 5-3 and falling 9-1 in five innings against the University of New Haven in the Northeast-10 Conference opener for both teams.

AIC is now 5-7 overall and 1-1 in the NE10.

The Chargers jumped to a 2-0 lead before AIC could pick up its bats, thanks to a single, stolen base, double, and single. Just as quickly, however, AIC bounced back. Lauryn Ramalho was hit by the first pitch she faced, and Destiny McGrath singled before Julia Krijgsman worked a walk. Sammy Sanchez then smacked a two-run single through the right side of the infield to tie the game, and Brooklyn Cividanes followed by lacing a single to center, plating Krijgsman and giving AIC a 3-2 lead. 

In the third, the Chargers drew even with one swing of the bat, as Emily Ricci socked a solo shot to left to tie the contest at 3-3. Krijgsman and Sanchez hit back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom half, but the Yellow Jackets did not have any luck bringing them home. 

An inning later, the Yellow Jackets had a runner cut down at home; with two outs, McGrath crushed a double to the left-center gap. Ramalho hustled from first, but a great relay from the Chargers defense was able to fire the ball to the plate just ahead of her, and Brianna Trueman was able to apply the tag to keep the game tied.

In the fifth, Cividanes took the defense out of the equation. After a one-out Sanchez walk, she hammered a pitch to dead center, clearing the fence with her second longball of the year, putting AIC ahead 5-3.

With the lead secure, Trinity Lavalley came in to pitch. She worked around a two-out single in the sixth and a two-out fielding error in the seventh to secure the save, her first at the collegiate level.

Apart from going 2-for-3 with a walk, Krijgsman earned the win in the circle with five frames of four-hit pitching, walking two and striking out one. LaValley allowed just the one hit in her two frames.

In the second game, the Chargers again scored the first two runs before AIC could bat; this time, however, the Yellow Jackets went down in order in the bottom half. That set up New Haven to erupt for six runs in the second, with two walks, three singles, and then a home run.

AIC scored its lone run in the third as McGrath launched a solo shot with two outs to left-center, but in the fifth the Chargers plated a run on a sacrifice fly and then shut down AIC in the bottom half for the run-rule win.

The Yellow Jackets return to action on Sunday, March 30 at noon for the first of two with Southern Connecticut State University.