PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Suffolk softball was one out away from a bounce back victory over the Wildcats in game two of a non-conference doubleheader, however Johnson & Wales managed to get a pair of runs on a high infield hit to down the Rams, 9-8, Friday night at Scots Miracle Gro Athletic Complex. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 8 | Johnson & Wales 9|
RECORDS: Suffolk (14-10) | Johnson & Wales (22-4)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
A back-and-forth battle through six stanzas saw a deadlocked 7-all game to set-up the seventh stanza shenanigans. 

Caitlin Murphy started the seventh with a single to left field, took second on Ashley King's sac bunt and advanced to third on a wild pitch. The senior waited for the right opportunity to come in and saw it when the ball got away from Johnson & Wales' backstop. Murphy slid into home to bump Suffolk ahead, 8-7. 

Jenny Jacob returned to the rubber to lock up the win. The junior twirler traded base hits with strikeouts. With two outs and Wildcats on second and third, Mackenzie Clee sauntered to the plate. She struck a high hit ball to Lily Gustafson at short. Gustafson dove to catch the ball, but it was out of her reach, which allowed not just one, but both runners to score for the win. 

Johnson & Wales put Suffolk in a two-run hole to get the game going in the first. 

Two innings later the Rams leveled the playing field behind Ava Brandow's two-out, two-run outfield single that plated Ira Boci and Murphy. Boci led off the third with a two-bagger to right field and Murphy drew a walk to reach before swiping second to get into scoring position.  

The Wildcats broke the tie in the home half of the inning to force the blue-and-gold to play from behind again.  

 See-saw action continued into the fourth as Suffolk chucked the bags with base hits from Savannah Scripter and Ally Cifaratta followed by a walk from Boci. Pinch hitter Jolie Quintana stepped up big for the Rams as the rookie rocked a two-run single to right to push the visitors ahead again. Murphy followed Quintana's hit with a single to right of her own that brought in Boci to pad the margin to a pair, 5-3.

That edge was quickly erased as Julia Huzi produced a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth for Johnson & Wales and knotted things for the second time. 

The 5-all game did not last long as Brandow sat back on a ball and sent it over the center field fence. The rookie's no doubter counted for two runs as Bianca Luciano led off the frame with an infield single.  

JWU tallied one run over the next two innings to even the score at seven and set-up the thrilling finale.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Jacob suffered the setback after giving up three runs on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 2.1 innings. 
• Diana Rucinski started in the circle for Suffolk and let up two runs, one earned, on two hits and one walk. 
• Kennedy Reyes (1.1 IP, 1 BB), Ashlyn Conley (1.1 IP, 1 R, 2 H) and Brandow (2.1 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K) also shoved for Suffolk. 
• Katie Scheid earned the decision in 3.0 innings of relief work. She let up three runs, two earned, on three hits with two punchouts in 3.0 innings. 
• Sage Borkowski started on the rubber and compiled a five-run, six-hit, two-walk, four-strikeout effort in 4.0 innings.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Brandow brought in four runs on two hits including a dinger and scored one herself. 
• Murphy went 2-for-2 at the dish with two runs, one RBI and a pair of stolen bases. 
• Quintana brought in a pair of runs on her hit. 
• Boci scored twice and chipped in one it. 
• Cifaratta added one hit and one run scored.  

NOTEWORTHY

• The Rams have had home runs in back-to-back games of a doubleheader for the second time this season, first since doing so in a twinbill against Lesley in Eastie April 5. 
• Brandow knocked her fourth homer of the season. 
• Rucinski made her first collegiate start in the circle. 
• Murphy pushed her hit streak to four. In that span she has six hits.
• Conley notched her first career hit and RBI. 
• Boci matched a personal-best two runs scored. 
• Quintana is on a three-game hit streak. She has five hits over that stretch. 

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk heads to Curry tomorrow, Saturday, April 17 for a CCC double feature with a 12 p.m. game one start.