REGIS WRAPS UP FLORIDA TRIP AGAINST NORTHLAND, WITTENBERG

CAPE CORAL, Fla. – The Regis College softball team wrapped up its spring break trip with a 9-1 setback to Northland College in six innings and an 11-7 loss to Wittenberg University on Tuesday morning. The Pride wrap up their trip at 0-8 overall and return to action on March 22 with an NECC doubleheader against Mitchell College.

Northland took a 1-0 advantage in the first inning as Jayna Loy helped her cause with an RBI single that plated Sam Bona. The Lumberjills added five more in the third inning, taking advantage of several Pride errors en route to a 6-0 lead. The Pride got on the board in the fourth inning as Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, Mass.) singled home Kirbie Garvey (Littleton, Mass.) to make it a 6-1 game.

Northland's Bona reached on an error to open the fourth inning, and she came around to score on a triple by Erin Roembke to give the Lumberjills a 7-1 lead. Roembke would later score on an RBI single by Kaitlyn Witthun, and Northland added a Faye Koosmann RBI single in the sixth inning to finish off the Pride, 8-1.

Kirbie Garvey went 2-for-3 on the day with a run scored, while Cuozzo added the only other hit for the Pride. Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) gave up six runs (four earned) over 2.2 innings, while Cuozzo pitched the final three innings, allowing six hits and giving up three runs (one earned).

Regis struck first in their matchup with Wittenberg, taking a 4-0 advantage after the top of the first. The Pride loaded the bases on singles by Raegan Heck (Phillipston, Mass.) and Kelsey Heath (Lowell, Mass.) and a walk to Michaela NeJaime (Sandisfield, Mass.). Marissa Magarian (Goffstown, N.H.) drove in the first run of the day for Regis as the Wittenberg catcher could not handle the throw home to nail Heck and put the Pride on top 1-0.

The Pride took advantage of another Wittenberg misstep as Kirbie Garvey reached on an error that scored NeJaime. The Pride plated the last two runs of the inning as Garvey beat a throw to second before being tagged out off the base after two runs had scored.

The Tigers answered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the second on RBI singles by Julia Williams, Shelby Knapp, and Shannon Lance. The Pride went back on top, 6-4, as Raegan Heck placed a perfect bunt and forced a bad throw that allowed Alyssa McKinnon (Raynham, Mass.) to score, with Heck coming around to score later in the inning on an RBI groundout by NeJaime.

Wittenberg had the answer again in their half of the third as Williams added another RBI single and Shelby Knapp had an RBI groundout. The Tigers grabbed their first lead of the day on an RBI double to right-center by Kaela Hughes that plated Rachel Ross. This time the Pride responded in the top of the sixth as Kirbie Garvey forced another bad throw by the Tigers, allowing NeJaime to score another run and knot the game at 7-7.

The Tigers wasted no time taking the lead back as Aubrey Mendez led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple, coming around to score on a Shannon Lance single. Kaitie Harrison made it a 9-7 game, reaching on a fielder's choice and two batters later, Ashlee Wright laced a single up the middle that plated two, giving the Tigers an 11-7 lead they would not relinquish.

Raegan Heck and Kelsey Heath had two hits apiece to lead the Pride, while Samantha Bliss (Framingham, Mass.), Alyssa McKinnon, Shannon Bradish (Lawrence, Mass.), Michaela NeJaime, and Haley Fountain also registered hits for Regis. Katie Cuozzo suffered the setback for Regis, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 13 hits in five innings.