Softball Wins 11 of Last 13

David Otero Sports Editor

The softball team just finished a five-day road trip that concluded on Saturday, March 30. The Pioneers (15-6) ended their stay away from home on a successful note, as they played four double-headers and won six of their eight games. The Pioneers swept South- ern Connecticut State Univer- sity (14-8), split games against Stonehill College (12-14), then once again swept the two games against Merrimack College (5-9), and finally completed the trip with a split against Southern New

Hampshire University (7-5). In the first game against SNHU, the Pioneers shut out the Penmen 4-0, led behind the strong effort and complete game shutout of junior pitcher Liz Weber. She tossed 7.0 innings allowing only four hits and one walk, while striking out nine batters.

The Pioneers squeaked across an early unearned run in the third inning off an error from the Pen- men. Weber kept the Penmen’s bats quiet the entire game, and finally in the seventh inning, the Pioneers backed up their pitcher with some run support. Sopho- more catcher Aly Dzierzynski had a two-run double and one batter

later, freshman second baseman Maria Palmeri followed with an RBI single to make the game 4-0.

During the course of this game, the Pioneers were aided by the poor defense of the Penmen. SNHU finished the contest with four errors, allowing the Pioneers extra at-bats and chances to bring runs across the plate.

The Pioneers were unable to escape the double-header with a sweep. It seemed as if the Pioneers may have found some early offense in this game when Weber drilled a two-run homerun in the third inning. However, that would not be the case as those were the only runs the Pioneers scored for

the rest of the game. The Penmen took advantage of the silent LIU Post bats. The Penmen answered with a combined five runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Despite the loss, Weber is batting .459 for the season, and has reached base in each of her last eight games. In addition, sophomore outfielder Catherine Havens, who is hitting .309 for the campaign, has a hit in seven of her last eight games.

The Pioneers return home today with a double-header against the University of New Haven (13-5). They aim to continue their winning ways this evening as the games are set for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m