The softball team opened its first Division I season this week with a full slate of games in Boiling Springs, N.C. In this weekend’s tournament, the Chargers faced the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bisons twice, along with matchups against the Lafayette College Leopards and the Gardner-Webb University Bulldogs.
On Friday, the Chargers faced their first doubleheader of the season, opening against NDSU. New Haven struggled offensively, finishing with two hits and no runs, drawing five walks and leaving seven runners on base.
NDSU scored in the first inning with an RBI single to right field followed by another RBI single and a throwing error which resulted in two unearned runs. The Bisons added another run in the third on a single up the middle and broke the game open in the fifth with a two-RBI double and a run-scoring on a fielding error. NDSU capped the scoring with a home run in the sixth. Emily Ricci and Carson Schakel both recorded a hit for the Chargers, but New Haven lost 8-0.
In their next match up, both New Haven and Lafayette struggled to generate consistent offense. Skylar Griffin held the Leopards scoreless through the first two innings until Caroline Hall hit a two-run home run to left center in the third inning, which gave Lafayette a 2-0 lead.
Despite falling behind, the Chargers responded in the fourth inning when Schakel singled through the left side, advanced to second on the throw and drove in Bri Pellicone, cutting the deficit to 2-1. However in the final inning, Lafayette scored the game-winning run on an RBI hit by Maggie Klugg, with Katie Harrington coming across to score, sealing the 3-1 victory and dropping the Chargers to 0-2 for the day.
On Saturday, the Chargers faced another two-game day, opening their second match against NDSU.
The Bisons jumped out quickly, scoring nine runs in the second inning and adding two more in the third to take a commanding 11-0 lead. Their offense finished with 13 hits, including a home run, and capitalized on New Haven’s errors. The Chargers managed to push across a run in the fifth inning when Elyse Genaway singled to first base to drive in Gianna Haniff. This was the only run the Chargers scored as they finished the game with two hits, committed two errors defensively and fell short, 11-1.
In their second game of the day, New Haven fell to Gardner-Webb, 11-1. Gardner-Webb struck early, with a three-run home run by Maggie Knight in the first inning. The Bulldogs brought in two runs in the third before scoring six runs in the fourth to take an 11-0 lead. Gardner-Webb totaled seven hits and capitalized on walks, hit batters and defensive miscues to extend innings.
New Haven managed four hits and broke through in the fifth inning when Allison Murai scored on a wild pitch, but it was their only run of the game. The Chargers committed one error and were limited by strong pitching from Alli Stidham, dropping to 0-4 on the season.
In their final game against Gardner-Webb, New Haven started strong and scored two runs in the first inning on RBI singles from Brianna Trueman and Schakel. Gardner-Webb responded with an eight-run third inning, using a series of key hits, including multiple doubles and a three-run inside-the-park home run, to swing the momentum.
The Chargers added a run in the fourth when Murai reached on an error allowing Genaway to score. With that being New Haven’s final run, the Chargers finished with seven hits and fell 9-3 to close out the tournament.
After the tournament, the softball team has an overall record of 0-5. The Chargers will be back in action on Saturday to face the Yale University Bulldogs and the Boston University Terriers in a doubleheader. First pitch is at 10:30 a.m. in New Haven. Conn. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
