The Campus Lantern

Later Sunday night, Keene scored three times in the bottom of the tenth inning to upend regular-season champion Rhode Island College, 9-8, in the completion of a halted game from April 10. Keene denied Rhode Island a perfect conference season with the win?that also gave the Owls the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, which will be held Thursday through Saturday at Rhode Island College. Eastern is seeded third and will face fourth-seeded Western Connecticut State University in an opening-round game at 2 p.m.

Denny’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth inning scored freshman pinch runner Rosie Manzo to give Eastern the Game 1 win. Keene reached Rathbun for four of its game total of five hits in taking a 1-0 lead in the fourth, but Eastern tied the first game in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned run when Denny’s two-out single was booted in the outfield, allowing freshman right fielder Priscilla Alicea to score from first.

Both teams ran into double plays in the late innings of the first game when runners were caught off the bag on routine fly balls to the respective centerfielders. Keene’s running error cost them an opportunity in the top of the tenth and set the stage for Eastern’s game-ending rally in the bottom of the inning. With a runner placed on second in the bottom of the tenth in accordance with tie-breaker rules, Eastern sophomore leftfielder Katie Dinihanian moved pinch runner Manzo to third with a sacrifice bunt. Two intentional walks loaded the bases for Denny. The program’s career RBI leader, Denny sent the first pitch she saw from reliever Samantha Pratt to left field deep enough to send in Manzo with the winning run.

In the second game, Katie Bradford hit a two-out solo home run on a two-strike pitch to give Keene a 1-0 lead in the second, and Bradford walked and scored on an RBI single by No. 9 hitter Laura Chandler to make it 2-0 in the sixth. Senior Katie Pensiero lost for only the second time in eight decisions this year, recording her third complete game in 11 starts. Pensiero fanned seven and walked three and matched Rathbun by limiting Keene to only five hits.

Leading 1-0 in the second game, Keene put its first two runners aboard on errors in the fourth, but Pensiero got a swinging strikeout and line drive out to second to end the threat. Keene threatened again in the fifth but stranded runners on second and third (the Owls left nine runners on in the game) when Pensiero induced a ground ball and got an inning-ending strikeout. The Owls finally tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Bradford scored from second on Chandler’s two-out RBI single.

In the first game, Keene leadoff hitter Jenna Patnode stole her 33rd and 34th bases of the season without being caught, but was stranded at second both times.

Savoie, one of four freshman pitchers that comprise the Keene staff, pitched a complete- fanned seven and walked four in the nightcap to post her seventh win in ten decisions. Eastern stranded two runners in the first and two in the fourth in the second game.