MANCHESTER, N.H.— The Southern New Hampshire University softball team split a pair of games with the University of New Haven in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon on Penmen Field. The Penmen move to 15-5 overall and 4-1 in the league, while the Chargers are now 18-6 overall and 10-4 in the conference.

Despite a slow start for the hosts in the first game, the Penmen belted three homeruns in the bottom of the fifth to beat New Haven by a score of 9-4.

The Chargers jumped out to a quick lead in the first inning, scoring one run, and then adding onto their lead again in the third inning with three more runs to go up 4-0 on SNHU.

In the bottom of the third, the Penmen answered with two runs to cut the lead to one. Mo Hannan (Scarborough, Maine) was responsible for the runs when she singled to right field to score Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.) and Tesia Stanasek (Blackstone, Mass.), who both reached on singles.

After a scoreless fourth inning, the SNHU bats came alive in the fifth, scoring five runs on five hits, including three homeruns. Maloof started it off with a lead-off homerun to left center to tie the game at 4-4. With two outs, and one runner on, Morgan Farmer (Kingston, N.H.) hit one out to left center to score two more and to take the first lead of the game. Erin Morrissey (Commack, N.Y.) followed with a single to right field, and Katie Caruso (Newton, Mass.) brought her home with her fourth homerun of the season to give SNHU a 7-4 lead.

The Penmen built on their lead once again in the bottom of the sixth when Maloof scored on a Jessica Torsiello (Morris Plains, N.J.) double.

Dolores Mattice (Schnectady, N.Y.) started the game for SNHU, pitching 2.1 innings and recording five strikeouts. Rebecca Sherwood (Braintree, Mass.) got the win in the circle for the Penmen, allowing no runs, two hits, and striking out one. Nicole King pitched six innings for the Chargers totaling five put-outs, and allowing nine runs on 11 hits.

In the second game of the day, the Chargers defeated SNHU by a score of 5-2.

The Penmen were able to get on the board early in the game in the first inning when Torsiello drive in Maloof, who led-off with a single.

New Haven answered back in the top of the third inning when Lindsey Couturier hit a three-run homerun to take the lead.

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning.

The Chargers led-off the final inning with a single, followed by a walk. With two runners on, Fisher singled up the middle to score one run and boost the lead to 4-1. An RBI bunt scored another run, and gave New Haven its biggest lead of the game at 5-1.

In the bottom of the inning, Farmer led-off with a single for Southern New Hampshire, and was able to advance to third on a passed ball and a Penmen groundout. With two outs, and a runner on third, Cara Daly (Plainville, Mass.) reached first on a Chargers' error, and Farmer scored. But, the Penmen could not complete the comeback, and dropped the second game.

Maloof pitched a complete game in the circle, totaling nine strikeouts, and allowed six hits and five runs. Victoria Cabral got the win for New Haven while striking out seven and allowing six hits and two runs.

The Penmen close out their seven-game homestand tomorrow when they host Southern Connecticut for a conference doubleheader with games at 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.

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