Softball Blanks LIU, 7-0, To Advance To NEC Championship Series

The Central Connecticut State softball team won its second consecutive NEC Tournament elimination game, defeating host LIU 7-0 Friday afternoon. The victory puts the Blue Devils into the championship series versus Wagner on Saturday. 

The Blue Devils sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the third inning, and after being hitless in their first two at-bats had four hits in the frame, with four extra base hits. Stella Gasper hit her second homerun of the day, one of her three hits. 

Hailey Strunk earned the win in the circle, scartering seven hits over the complete game victory. 

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE 
Score: CCSU 7 LIU 0 
Pitching Record: W: Strunk 10-3 | L: Wall (10-20)| Save - - 
Records: CCSU (28-18, 20-4 NEC), LIU (24-32, 21-3 NEC) 
Location: LIU Softball Complex | Brooklyn, NY 

KEY MOMENTS  

• Ava Cino would reach on an error in the first, but was stranded there 

• The LIU leadoff hitter reached on a single, but Hailey Strunk fanned Devon Medina and Reagan Vunak threw out Lily Hinkle stealing for the double play to eliminate the first inning threat 

• Ashlyn Desaulniers recorded the Blue Devils first hit, a double to right center field, that scored Kristina Bozek for the first run of the game. Vunak followed with her own double to right center field, plating Desaulniers for the 2-0 advantage. 

• Cino followed that with an infield single and after a diving catch retired Grace Lawton, Stella Gasper hit a towering homerun to left field to make the score 5-0. Joslyn Teal beat out an infield single and Skylar Warn followed with a double down the right field line to score Teal for the sixth run of the inning. 

• Kaylee Clarkson led off the bottom of the third with a single and Hinkle followed to put runners on second and third with no one out. Strunk induced three straight ground balls to retire the side with no runs allowed. 

• LIU was able to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth, before Strunk induced a groundball to Cino, who flipped it to Gasper to end the threat 

• Central added a run in the top of the seventh, on a sacrifice fly from Warn to score pinch runner Abigail Mitchell 

NOTES 

• Gasper, who hit her first homerun in the regular season finale, had a homerun in both games on Friday 

• All seven Blue Devil runs were scored by different players  

• Cino had two hits in the nightcap, and reached base five times on Friday 

• Hinkle was 4-4 for LIU from the leadoff spot 

• CCSU is 3-1 versus LIU this season 

• The Blue Devils are 2-2 versus Wagner this spring 

UP NEXT 

• The Blue Devils advance to face Wagner in the NEC Tournament Championship round. The Blue Devils need to win twice to earn the crown, while the Seahawks need one victory. The first game will be played at 9:00 am due to threats of inclement weather.