Bottino homers twice as Bulldogs split regular-season finale with Maine

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Hayley Bottino (Canyon Country, Calif.) hit two home runs and drove in four to lead the Bryant University softball team to a 7-1 victory in game one of a doubleheader with Maine on Friday afternoon at Conaty Park. The Black Bears rallied to win game two, 2-0.

With the split, the Bulldogs wrap up their regular-season with a 29-20 record. The Black Bears are now 18-19. Bryant will have a week off before hosting the 2014 Northeast Conference Softball Championships at Conaty Park from May 8-10.

GAME ONE

Bottino carried the Black and Gold to the game-one victory, recording her first-career two-homer game and added a career-high four RBI. Sophomore Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) earned the victory, allowing one run on eight hits over seven innings.

"Hayley did a good job of staying ahead of the count and attacking her pitches," head coach Shayne Lotito said. "She had good solid at-bats and great results. Her and Jess [Benacquista] really led the offense."

Bryant struck first with four runs in the first inning, highlighted by Bottino's first long ball of the afternoon. Madsen singled home the first run and junior Jessica Benacquista (Belleville, N.J.) doubled home the second before Bottino launched a 3-2 pitch over the left-center field wall to make it 4-0.

The Bulldogs would then add single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Benacquista and Bottino roped back-to-back doubles in the third to score a run and senior Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) plated classmate Kendall Corder (Carmichael, Calif.) all the way from first with a double in the fourth. Bottino capped the scoring with a two-out homer to center field in the fifth.

Madsen did the rest, striking out five without issuing a walk to run her record to 22-9 on the year. She was her most dominant at the end of the game, retiring nine of the final 10 batters she faced to close the door.

Bottino finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored, while Benacquista went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

GAME TWO

One swing of the bat was the only difference in game two as Maddie Moore's two-run home run in the second inning provided the Black Bears a 2-0 victory. The home run made a winner of Hannah Hill as she tossed a one-hitter to earn her ninth victory of the season.

After a two-out single kept the inning alive, Moore sent a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall to provide the only scoring in the game.

Hill did the rest, allowing just one hit while striking out eight in the complete-game victory. She worked out of a jam in the first as Corder was cut down at home on a ground ball before a pop to short left the bases loaded. The Bulldogs attempted to rally in the fifth as Liana Ogata (Tustin, Calif.) picked up the only hit of the game but Hill picked up a strikeout to strand runners on second and third.

Bottino was the tough-luck loser in game two as she allowed just the two runs on three hits. She struck out two and didn't walk a batter. After Moore's home run in the second, Bottino set down the final 16 Black Bears in order.

"Hayley had a solid outing but one missed pitch and it's a completely different ballgame," Lotito said. "We didn't have any offense and no matter how well our defense played and Bottino pitched, it wasn't going to happen."

The Bulldogs will now begin preparations for the NEC tournament that begins next Thursday at Conaty Park. It will be Bryant's first-ever Division I postseason appearance.

"It was a very good season and the girls all made strides but this is where the hard work begins," Lotito said. "It's a different ballgame in the postseason and right now we have the target on our backs and we are going to wear that proudly. We are going to fight tooth and nail on every pitch."