Softball drops two at UC Riverside Tuesday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's softball team dropped a pair to UC Riverside in a doubleheader in Riverside, Calif., at Amy S. Harrison Field Tuesday afternoon.

GAME 1

Junior Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) was nearly perfect in the first game of Tuesday's midweek doubleheader, but the Bulldogs (5-12) fell to the Highlanders (22-6), 1-0, in Game 1.

Madsen, who has allowed just 10 hits and a single earned run in her last 12 innings in the circle, wasn't given any run support in a defensive-battle against UC Riverside in the second meeting between the two teams this season.

The lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the fifth inning. After Madsen opened the inning with two quick outs, Riverside's Taylor Wright singled through the left side for just its fourth hit of the contest. During the next at bat, Stephanie Tickemyer reached base on an infield error which extended the inning and ultimately led to a Jenna Curtan single up the middle, scoring Wright, and giving the Highlanders a 1-0 lead after five.

Bryant's best chance came in the top of the second when senior first baseman Jessica Benacquista (Belleville, N.J.) belted a leadoff double to right field. Freshman catcher Cassie Mejia (Tucson, Ariz.) followed up with a single to right, and after stealing second base, put runners on second and third with no outs. However, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize as UC Riverside hurler Chelsea Ponce shut the door with three-straight strikeouts to preserve the shutout.

Benacquista and junior Liana Ogata (Tustin, Calif.) led the Bulldogs at the dish with two hits apiece.

GAME 2

The second leg of Tuesday's double dip  brought another strong start from the Bryant pitching staff, this time from junior Hayley Bottino (Canyon Country, Calif.), who allowed only three hits in four innings of work, but the Highlanders scored six in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 7-3 victory.

In the bottom of the first inning, Riverside broke the scoreless tie via a Natalie Sanchez sacrifice fly to open up a 1-0 lead which is where it would stay for the next five innings. Bottino, who allowed two hits in the first, would only allow one more hit, a single in the third, in four total innings of work.

In relief, freshman Logan Paul (Shaker Heights, Ohio) put together a 1-2-3 fifth inning but it was the sixth where the hosts did the majority of their damage, stringing together six runs on seven hits including a one-out grand slam from Rebecca Faulkner.

The Bulldogs seventh inning comeback effort was valiant, as they pushed across three runs on three hits and an error but it was not enough as the Highlanders held on for the sweep, 7-3.

Bottino and freshman catcher Robyn Ukegawa (Carlsbad, Calif.) each collected a pair of hits on the game with Bottino accounting for the lone Bryant RBI.

Looking ahead, the Black and Gold continue their busy Spring Break week in California with a Wednesday double header at the University of San Diego, playing Game 1 vs. UNC Greensboro (5:30 p.m. EST) and Game 2 vs. the host Toreros (8 p.m. EST).