DANBURY, Conn.—Behind a ten strikeout, complete game from freshman Brianna Melchionda (Marshfield, Mass.) in game two, UMass Boston softball earned a doubleheader split with host Western Connecticut State University on Thursday afternoon. 

THE BASICS
GM1: Western Connecticut State 6, UMass Boston 4
GM2: UMass Boston 7, Western Connecticut State 2
(UMass Boston 2-2, Little East Conference 2-2) 
(Western Conn. St. 3-11, Little East Conference 3-7) 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Melchionda struck out 10 and allowed just four hits, to earn her first collegiate victory and complete game in game two. 
 
Offensively, junior Caley Ruggiero (Southbury, Conn.) led the Beacons with five hits on the day. The third basemen finished 5-8 with three runs, a double and an RBI. 
 
GAME ONE
 
Western Connecticut State struck for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to slip past the Beacons 6-4. UMass Boston had grabbed a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning, before the Colonials struck for four runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. 
 
Ruggiero recorded two of the Beacons five hits in the contest. She finished 2-3 with a walk and a run scored. Tam Landry (Leominster, Mass.) added a double, a run scored and an RBI and Drew Washington (Bordentown, N.J.) tacked on a double, walk and run scored. 
 
The Beacons used three different pitchers in the contest. Junior Hayley Catania (Amesbury, Mass.) got the start and allowed four hits, two runs (one earned) in four innings. Emily Doble (Danvers, Mass.) took the loss after allowing two hits and three earned runs in two innings. Sophomore Meghan Adams (Portsmouth, N.H.) made her collegiate debut in the sixth and allowed two hits and one earned run in an inning of work. 
 
Western Connecticut State sophomore Hailey Golembiewski threw a complete-game five hitter. She allowed four runs (two earned) and struck out six, while walking two. 
 
After being no-hit through the first three innings, UMass Boston grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Washington doubled with one out and came in to score on Landry's two-out RBI double. Landry scored during the next at-bat, as she raced home on a two-base throwing error from the catcher. 
 
Western tied the game three batters later. After an error put the leadoff runner on, the hosts put two runners in scoring position on a single and another Beacons error. Jenna Houlahan tied the game with a 2-run double to left field. Doble came on in relief and registered a strikeout and a pair of groundouts to strand Houlahan.
 
The Beacons retook the lead in the top of the sixth. Ruggiero and Kelly Danahy (Kingston, Mass.) opened the inning with back-to-back singles and Washington worked a walk to load the bases. Melchionda plated Ruggiero with a sacrifice fly, but Golembiewski kept the Beacons to one run with a ground out and a strikeout. 
 
Western responded right away. Each of the first four Western Connecticut batters reached with senior Kara Hanson coming through with the big hit: a two-run, go-ahead double. Golembiewski added an RBI groundout and Sara Tenke closed out the scoring with an RBI single. 
 
UMass Boston got one final run in the seventh. Britney Perkett (Pittsfield, Mass.) reached on an error with two outs and moved all the way up to the third on the throwing error. She scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 6-4 and Ruggiero followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate. Western sealed the win though, as Golembiewski induced a pop up to the third baseman. 
 
GAME TWO 
 
Melchionda shut down the host's offense and the offense posted a season-high 12 hits and seven runs to earn the split. 
 
The Beacons freshmen pitcher limited Western Connecticut to just four hits, two runs and two walks in seven innings. She struck out at least one batter in every inning, including striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth inning. 
 
Danahy paced the Beacons offense by going 3-4 with two runs scored, a double, a triple, an RBI and a walk. Ruggiero added three hits, two runs, a double and an RBI of her own. 
 
Washington chipped in two hits, a run scored, an RBI and a walk. Melchionda helped her own effort by going 2-4, with two RBI and a double. 
 
Western Connecticut used four different pitchers in game two, with all four pitchers giving up at least one run. Junior Nicole Antonowicz took the loss after coming in relief and allowing one hit, one unearned run and two walks in 1.2 innings. 
 
UMass Boston jumped all over Western starter Lauren Wilcox. Ruggiero led off the game with a double and easily scored on Danahy's RBI triple. After a Washington walk, Melchionda drove Danahy in with an RBI groundout. 
 
The hosts immediately responded in the bottom of the first. After a lead-off walk, Melchionda retired each of the next two batters on ground outs. Charline Plasczynski cut the Beacons lead to 2-1 with an RBI single and she scampered all the way home on a Houlahan RBI triple. 
 
UMass Boston took the lead for good in the top of the second. Freshman Lauryn Bethea (Springfield, Mass.) reached on a leadoff error, moved to second on a Perkett single and to third on a wild pitch. With two outs and the bases loaded, Washington struck out, but the ball skipped past the catcher and everyone was safe to give the Beacons a 3-2 advantage. 
 
The visitors blew the game open in the top of the fourth. With one out, UMass Boston recorded four-straight hits. Ruggiero and Danahy singled to put runners on the corners and Washington singled to left field to plate Ruggiero. Melchionda followed with an RBI single of her own and Tori Dicenso (Lynn, Mass.) tacked on an RBI groundout to make it 6-2 UMass Boston.  
 
UMass Boston closed out the scoring in the seventh inning. Bethea opened the inning with a double and scored on Ruggiero's two-out RBI single. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

• With the split, UMass Boston improved to 9-42 all-time against Western Connecticut State. UMass Boston has won four of the past five meetings and has earned six of their nine wins since 2017 (6-4). 
• Bethea made her first collegiate start in game two and recorded her first collegiate extra-base and run scored in game two. 
• Melchionda is the sixth pitcher in program history to strike out 10 or more batters in a single game. Game two was only the ninth time in program history a Beacons pitcher had struck out 10 or more batters in a game. 
• The Beacons recorded a season-high 12 hits, seven runs, four doubles, five extra-base hits and four walks in game two. 

 
WHO'S NEXT 
 
UMass Boston will travel to take on Plymouth State University on Saturday for a doubleheader at 1 and 3 p.m.