Softball Drops Two at J&W

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Johnson & Wales University softball team won a pair of games against Mitchell College in a non-conference doubleheader at Pierce Field on Wednesday afternoon. Johnson & Wales won game one by a score of 3-0 before completing the sweep with an 8-0 final in five innings in the nightcap.

The Wildcats got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when a lead-off double by Heather Imperatore and walk by Tayla Gardner paved the way for a two-run double by Alyssa Babineau to give JWU the 2-0 lead after one inning. Sandy Ristau tacked on one more run on an RBI groundout to short to give the Wildcats the 3-0 lead after six innings. Gardner pitched the complete game, giving up only one hit that came with two outs in the top of the 7th to senior Nikki Hoxie.

Gardner struck out 10 in the game one victory. Babineau was 2-for-3 with two RBI while Olivia England collected two hits in the win as well.

In the nightcap JWU took the early lead after capitalizing on a Mariners miscue in the bottom of the first to take the 2-0 lead. The Wildcats then exploded for four runs in the third thanks to an RBI single by Kelsey Dunn which scored Imperatore. England and Robyn Ziegler each had RBI singles in the inning to give the Wildcats the 6-0 lead. Taylor Cwalinski gave JWU the 7-0 lead in the fourth inning on an RBI double down the left field line while Gardner's single in the bottom of the fifth scored the final run as the Wildcats took game two 8-0.

Imperatore, Cwalinski and Ziegler had two hits apiece in game two while Imperatore scored three runs in the victory.

With the two wins Johnson & Wales improved to 10-8 overall while Mitchell fell to 3-9 on the year. The Mariners return to action at home against Bay Path College on Saturday, March 31 at 1 p.m.