Softball Equals Program Record For NEC Wins With 12-4 Victory Over Le Moyne

The Central Connecticut State softball team closed its regular season schedule with a 12-4 win over NEC host Le Moyne, in six innings. The victory gives the Blue Devils the second seed in the NEC Tournament; that gets underway on Thursday. 

The victory gave the Blue Devils 20 conference victories, equaling a program-record originally set in 2021 when the Blue Devils were 20-8. The .833 win percentage in league play is a program record as well. 

Stella Gasper provided the big blow with her first career homerun, a sixth inning grand slam. 

GAME  INFORMATION | BOX SCORE 
Score: CCSU 12, Le Moyne 4 
Pitching Record: W: Hamilton (15-6)| L: Nessman (4-10)| Save - - 
Records: CCSU (26-17, 20-4 NEC), Le Moyne (16-32, 12-12 NEC) 
Location: Softball Complex | Syracuse, NY 

KEY MOMENTS  

• The Dolphins took a lead in their first time at the plate as Kayla Dunkerley led off with a single and scored two batters later on a Sydney Nesci RBI single 

• CCSU answered in the next half inning by plating four runs on four hits. Kristina Bozek and Ashleyn Desaulniers had back-to-back RBI base hits to put the Blue Devils on top 2-1 and both came around to score on a Vunak double to center field. 

• Joslyn Teal, who scored the first run of the second inning, gave the Blue Devils a 5-1 advantage with a two-out solo homerun in the top of the third inning 

• The Dolphins played a run in the bottom of the third and two more runs in their portion of the fourth inning, clawing back within a run, 5-4 

• Back-to-back two out doubles from Skylar Warn and Sophia LoPiccolo in the top of the fifth made the score 6-4 

• CCSU sent 12 batters to the plate in the sixth inning, plating six runs on five hits, with the big blow a being a Stella Gasper grand slam that made the score 10-4. LoPiccolo' double three batters later plated Teal, and Ava Cino's single scored LoPiccolo for the final run. 

NOTES 

• Vunak went 3-5 on Sunday, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once herself 

• Cino reached base four times in the game, going 1-2 with three walks 

• Teal's homerun was her second of the season 

• Liz Hamilton earned the victory, fanning five in her six innings of work, while walking no Dolphins 

• LoPiccolo drove in a pair of runs, one of seven Blue Devils that had an RBI 

• Central has won 10 or more games for the fourth consecutive season, the second longest stretch in program history 

• The Blue Devils will play Wagner in the opening round of the NEC Championship, Thursday at 3:00 pm, in a game hosted by LIU on its Brooklyn campus 

 UP NEXT 

• The Blue Devils are the second seed in the four-team NEC Tournament. wo squads complete the series on Sunday at 12pm.