Purple Knights Back In Softball Win Column With Doubleheader Sweep Of Mercy

Bridgeport, Conn.-The University of Bridgeport softball got back in the win column in a big way on a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon in Seaside Park with an East Coast Conference doubleheader sweep of the visiting Mercy College Mavericks.  The Purple Knights took game one, 5-2, and completed the sweep with a 6-1 victory in game two.  Bridgeport is now 9-21 overall and 5-11 in the ECC.  Mercy slips to 6-26 overall and 5-10 in conference action.

In the opener, senior Jessica Griesinger (Brewster, N.Y.) and sophomore Tara Faford (Grafton, Mass.) each slammed two-run home runs, and senior Sydney Phillips (Sebastopol, Calif.) knocked in the Purple Knights' other run with a double.

Sophomore Alyssa Bua (Cornwall. N.Y.) pitched a complete game to earn the victory in game one to raise her season mark to 3-5.  Bua scattered nine hits and struck two and walk a pair during her seven innings in the circle.

In game two, Faford had two more hits, and classmate Meghan O'Leary (Lafayette, N.J.) went 2-for-3 with two-run first inning homer.  Junior Kaila Crandall (Little Rock, Calif.) also knocked in two runs with a double.

Junior Jennine Walsh (Langley, B.C., Canada) picked up her first win of the season in the pitching circle firing 5.1 innings of three-hit ball in which she allowed only one run and fanned two batters.

Senior Taylor Hendrickson (Binghamton, N.Y.) worked 1.2 scoreless innings to record her first save of the year.

The UB softball team is next scheduled to be in action on Tuesday afternoon when they Purple Knights will host ECC leader LIU Post in a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.