Softball Wins Fifth Straight; Takes Two from CCSU

(Game 1)
(Game 2)

5/6/06 -- Long Island University rode strong pitching and solid defense to a doubleheader sweep of Central Connecticut State, 4-2 in eight innings and 8-0, in New Britain, Conn. on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Alissa Villanueva (Pacoima, Calif.) went a combined 5-for-8 at the plate and freshman Jenny Giles picked up a pair of wins, throwing a combined nine innings and giving up just six hits.

The Blackbirds (31-21) rolled to an 8-0 victory in game two, erupting for five runs in the final frame. Sophomore Brittany Murphy (Los Alamitos, Calif.) highlighted the seventh with a bases-clearing triple.

Sophomore Celina Castillo (Redwood City, Calif.) and freshman Britnee Edwards (Mesa, Az.) both collected two hits in the second contest. Edwards added a pair of RBI and posted nine putouts in the victory.

Junior Randi Gillespie was 2-for-2 in the second contest. The San Jose, Calif. native registered two RBI, bringing her season total to 42 - two off former Blackbird Tiffany Cooley's single season-best of 44.

A sacrifice fly by Gillespie plated the Blackbirds first run of the game in the first inning. They added a lone tally in the fourth aided by a CCSU error. Krystal Mejia reached on a miscue and scored three batters later on a sac fly by Edwards.

A Gillespie double through the right side scored Vanessa Mejia in the sixth to push LIU to a 3-0 lead before the barrage of runs in the seventh closed out the scoring.

Tied at 2-2 after seven innings in game one, junior Holly Erwin (Riverside, Calif.) led off the eighth with a walk. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alyssa Winslow (San Jacinto, Calif.). Edwards followed with an RBI single, scoring Erwin, to push LIU ahead to stay.

Edwards, on the defensive end behind the plate, came up big - throwing out two runners and swiping a runner out at the plate.

Giles - in relief - struck out the final two CCSU batters in the eighth to take the win. Senior Jessica Busick (Milipitas, Calif.) threw six solid innings to commence the contest, allowing one run on five hits.