SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara softball and Rhode Island played a day earlier than expected with the impending rain in the forecast as the two squads split the doubleheader on Monday. Rhode Island won the first game 6-5 to snap SCU's four-game win streak before the Broncos shutout the Rams 8-0 in the second game that was originally scheduled for Tuesday.
Game 1: Rhode Island 6 – Santa Clara 5
Rhode Island (3-13) scored all six of its runs with two outs and rallied from four runs down to beat Santa Clara, 6-5.
Santa Clara (13-13) jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first three innings on Ashley Trierweiler and Morgan Salmon's solo home runs in the first and third that book ended a two run second.
The Rams stormed back with four runs in the fourth on four consecutive RBI hits to tie the game up 4-all. It included three-straight doubles by Jess Hennelly, Vicki Viaclovsky and Cassie Swenson, touching up Bronco starter Sage Hager.
SCU briefly regained the lead in the home half of the fourth when Bailey McLaughlin's sacrifice fly plated Regan Dias to put the Broncos up 5-4.
Rhode Island answered with a run in the fifth on a double steal off Dias to once again tie the game up and took the lead in the sixth when Leilyn Alvarez knocked in a run with a single to center to score Viaclovsky. It was the first lead of the game for the Rams.
Camero Whiteford picked up the win pitching 2 2/3 innings while Dias took the loss allowing five hits and two runs over two innings of work.
Emma Bickford had a game-high three hits.
Game 2: Rhode Island 8 – Santa Clara 0 (five innings)
Hannah Edwards threw an economical game and three Broncos tallied two RBIs apiece in the 8-0 run-rule shutout of Rhode Island in the backend of the doubleheader.
Edwards blanked the Rams (3-14) on just 54 pitches over five frames and allowed four hits and did not issue a walk over five innings.
Emma Bickford, Morgan Salmon and Abigail Charpentier drove in all the runs for the Broncos.
Santa Clara offense supplied Edwards with three runs in the first including a solo home run by Salmon, her second of the day and fifth on the year.
The Broncos (14-13) doubled its lead to 6-0, adding three more runs in the third on an RBI double by Salmon and a two-RBI single by Charpentier.
Edwards improved to 4-3 on the year with her performance while Rams starter Noelle Sterner (0-3) who walked the first three batters she faced to open the game and was responsible for allowing the first two runs, was saddled with the loss.
NEXT UP
Santa Clara closes out their nine-game homestand on Wednesday against Dartmouth at 4 p.m.
