BOSTON - The UMass Boston softball team split a home non-conference doubleheader against Salve Regina University Saturday, taking game-two 3-1 after falling in the opener, 5-4. Brianna Melchionda set the program record for strikeouts in a seven-inning game with 14 to help the Beacons secure their game-two win over the Seahawks Saturday afternoon at UMB Softball Field.
 
THE BASICS
 
Salve Regina 5, UMass Boston 4
UMass Boston 3, Salve Regina 1
 
UMass Boston (8-4)
Salve Regina (6-3)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
In game-two, Jacey Cosciello gave the Seahawks a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when she scored on Maddie Capetta's single to center, but that lead didn't hold for long as the Beacons scored twice to take the lead for good. Junior Tam Landry (Leominster, Mass.) scored from third on a double-steal to tie the game, and freshman Kylee Bruce (Foxborough, Mass.) scored what would be the game-winning run on sophomore Brianna Melchionda's (Marshfield, Mass.) double to center.
 
UMass Boston added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when freshman Adrianna Keefe (Revere, Mass.) went home on an error for the 3-1 final. She came in to run for Melchionda, who reached on a fielder's choice.
 
Melchionda went the distance in the circle to improve to 3-1, yielding one run on four hits with 14 Ks, breaking the original record of 12 which was set twice, most recently in 2015 by Kaera Wyse. Isabelle Michaud fell to 0-1 for Salve after allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over her three innings of work.
 
In the opener, Salve jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI doubles from Lauren Packer and Christina Braid, and regained the lead for good with a three-run fifth. Capetta drove in Nikki Vanelli with a single to center and later scored on Kendall Duprey's double to center. Packer also scored off sac-fly off the bat of Braid.
 
The Beacons struck for three runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 3-2 lead at the time. Landry drove in two runs with a triple to center, and then headed home on senior Sarah Harlinski's (Sturbridge, Mass.) single to left.
 
UMass Boston nearly rallied in the bottom of the seventh, pulling back within one as Harlinski scored on Melchionda's two-out double to center. Alex Kelly then got junior Sydney Sanden (Riverton, Conn.) to fly out to third to end the game.
 
Kelly improved 5-1 after allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits with eight Ks in the complete-game win for the Seahawks. Junior Meghan Adams (Portsmouth, N.H.) took the loss for the Beacons after allowing five runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings. Sophomore Emily Doble (Danvers, Mass.) fanned five batters while yielding one hit over the final 2.1 innings.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?

The Beacons will next host a non-conference doubleheader against Suffolk University Tuesday at 3 p.m.