BULLDOGS AND BLACK BEARS SPLIT IN DOUBLEHEADER ACTION SUNDAY
March 21, 2010
BULLDOGS AND BLACK BEARS SPLIT IN DOUBLEHEADER ACTION SUNDAY
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the help of two homeruns in the first game of doubleheader action Sunday against Maine, the Bryant University softball team won its first game, 5-4, over the visiting Black Bears, but fell in the second matchup by a margin of 6-0.
The Bulldogs (3-14) got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore Laura Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) hit her second homerun of her career and the first of the 2010 season to lead off the inning for the Bulldogs. Bryant added two more runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Bowen was 2-3 in the game with 2 RBIs and extended her hitting streak to six games.
Maine (11-19) picked up two in the top of the second to cut the margin to 3-2 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Senior tri-captain Ali Chouinard (Swansea, Mass.) led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double down the left field line and was moved over to third on a Lauren McCart (Voorhees, N.J.) sacrifice bunt. Bowen came through again as she hit a single up the middle in the next Bryant at bat to plate Chouinard and extend Bryant’s lead back to two runs, 4-2. Chouinard was 2-2 with two doubles in the game.
The Black Bears scored two runs off of Bryant pitcher Jennifer Jacob (Deer Park, N.Y.) in the top of the fifth to tie the game at four apiece. Jacob threw five innings, walking only one and giving up just three earned runs.
Freshman Talia Zizza (Reading, Mass) led off
the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo homerun to center field.
It was Zizza’s first homerun of her career and turned out to
be the game-winner as Bryant went on to win 5-4 in the first game
at the Bryant Softball Complex. 
Freshman Kelly Cocco (Vernon, Conn.) picked up her first win in the contest and improved her record to 1-1.
In the second game, the Black Bears scored three runs in the first, two in the second and one in the third to take the early 6-0 lead and would never look back.
Maine pitcher Alexis Souhlaris held the Bulldogs to just two hits in the game, both from senior Kim Leonard (Milford, Mass.). Leonard was 2-3 with a stolen base.
The Black Bears held Bryant scoreless all game and would go on to win 6-0. The Black Bears were led by the speedy Whitney Spangler. Spangler was 6-8 on the day, scored two runs and had two RBIs.
Bryant returns to action on Tuesday, March 23 when they travel to Cambridge, Mass. for a doubleheader with the Harvard Crimson. The first game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. The Black and Gold return home on Thursday, March 25th when they host Brown University at 4 p.m.