NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — The Southern New Hampshire University softball team opened its 2015 Northeast-10 Conference schedule with a doubleheader split against the University of New Haven at the Central Connecticut State University Softball Field on Sunday. The Penmen move to 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the league after defeating the Chargers (3-5, 1-1 NE-10) 9-0 in game one before falling 5-4 in the second game. 

In the first half of the twinbill, senior Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.) improved to 7-0 in the circle with a complete-game one-hitter in six innings of work. Junior Mo Hannan (Scarborough, Maine) keyed the Southern New Hampshire offense with two hits, a walk and two runs batted in, while classmate Katie Caruso (Newton, Mass.) added a home run, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.

The game remained scoreless into the top of the fifth before the Penmen exploded for nine runs over the next two innings. Caruso launched her first home run of the season to left center field to lead off the fifth, and after Maloof sat down New Haven in order in the home half, Southern New Hampshire tacked on eight runs in the sixth.

Freshman Brittany Perdigao (Stoughton, Mass.) worked a lead off walk before Hannan and Maloof each earned free passes to load the bases. Caruso became the fourth consecutive SNHU batter to reach via a base on balls, forcing in a run to make it 2-0. Junior Lindsey Bolduc (Londonderry, N.H.) stepped in next and reached on a two-base error by the Charger right fielder that scored Hannan and Maloof to push the Penmen advantage to four. After sophomore Jessica Torsiello (Morris Plains, N.J.) was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, fellow sophomore Erin Morrissey (Commack, N.Y.) plated the fifth run of the game when she was walked.

Two batters later, sophomore Devan Rabidou (Ashland, Mass.) became the sixth hitter of the inning to work a walk, which scored Torsiello to give Southern New Hampshire a 6-0 lead. After Perdigao reached on an RBI fielder's choice, Hannan recorded the only hit of the inning when she ripped a two-run double to right field to make it 9-0 and provide the final margin of victory.

In game two, the Penmen fell behind 3-0 after two innings of play before answering with three runs of their own in the third. Hannan led off the inning with a single and Maloof reached on an error to put runners on first and second with nobody out. After a Caruso sacrifice bunt moved the runners up to second and third, Bolduc walked to lead the bases. Morrissey followed two batters later with a two-run single to center that brought in Hannan and Maloof to trim the deficit to one. Bolduc came around to tie the score when senior Holly Eicher (Stoneham, Mass.), who was on base three times in game one, reached on a throwing error.

After the Chargers took a two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, Southern New Hampshire scratched across another run to make it 5-4 in the ensuing half-inning. Perdigao earned a one-out walk before Hannan followed with an RBI triple to right.

The Penmen threatened in seventh, advancing the tying run to second base, but were unable to scratch across the equalizer.

Hannan finished the day 5-for-8 after picking up three hits in game two. She reached base six times in the doubleheader, drove in three runs and scored twice. Sophomore Nicole Gubellini (Salem, N.H.) was saddled with the loss in the second game after working 4.1 innings and surrendering five earned runs. Senior Rebecca Sherwood (Braintree, Mass.) tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and striking out one.

Julie Devlin led the New Haven offense with three hits on the day. Jen Palase and Tori Schiebe  collected two hits apiece in game two, and Victoria Cabral earned the win for the Chargers with a complete game, five-hit performance. 

Southern New Hampshire resumes play on Wednesday when it hosts Queens College in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. New Haven is back in action on Monday when it travels to Dowling College for a doubleheader with the Lions that starts at 2:30 p.m.

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