Softball Splits Two with UMass Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, MA- Junior shortstop Vicki Andruszkiewicz (Danvers, MA) drove in a run and threw out a runner at the plate in the seventh and final inning as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's softball team defeated visiting Framingham State, 2-0, in the nightcap to earn a split of their non-conference doubleheader at the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Complex Tuesday. The Rams won the opener, 2-1.

Andruszkiewicz doubled home a run for the Corsairs in the fifth inning of the nightcap to make it 2-0 after UMass Dartmouth had taken a 1-0 lead an inning earlier on an error. Freshman right-hander Ashley Puls (West Springfield, MA), who pitched the first six innings, left after junior catcher Rachel Timmons (Malden, MA) led off the seventh inning with a double. Junior right-hander Amie Nickerson (Wrentham, MA) relieved her, got first baseman Sara Mulkeen (Wrentham, MA) to ground out to short, moving Timmons to third, then induced junior pinch-hitter Liz Ranton (Milton, MA) to bounce to short. Andruszkiewicz threw Timmons out at the plate, then Nickerson struck out sophomore left fielder Megan Dumas (Holden, MA) for the final out. Puls limited the Rams to two hits in six innings and earned the victory, improving to 1-5, while Nickerson earned her first save of the season, Senior Kelly Knox (Framingham, MA) took the loss and fell to 8-6.

In the opener, freshman shortstop Andrea DiTerlizzi (Shrewsbury, MA) singled home a run and junior pitcher Katelyn Pacheco (Acushnet, MA) squeezed home another in the top of the sixth inning for FSC. Sophomore center fielder Kayla Peixoto (Fall River, MA) singled home a run for the Corsairs in the bottom of the sixth. Pacheco scattered three hits and earned the victory, improving to 1-0, while Nickerson also pitched a complete game but took the loss, falling to 3-8.

UMass Dartmouth is now 4-12, while Framingham State is 9-12. The Corsairs will return to action when they host Southern Maine in a Little East Conference doubleheader Saturday, while the Rams will host Bridgewater State in a doubleheader Saturday.