DANBURY, Conn. - Charline Plasczynski (Bristol, Conn.) went 4-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and an RBI and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning to lead the Western Connecticut State University Wolves to a 2-1 victory over the visiting University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs in Little Eat Conference (LEC) softball action this afternoon at Westside Field.  WestConn, which fell just short in the second game, 8-7, moves to 11-15 overall and 3-5 in the Little East, while the Corsairs are now 16-8 overall and 4-2 in the league. Thw Wolves will visit LEC rival Plymouth State next with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.

WestConn took advantage of UMass-Dartmouth errors on the first two Wolves batters of the game to take a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Plasczynski, but the inning was cut short early when the second and third outs were both recorded on pickoffs.  WestConn senior starter Sydney Chenoweth (Baldwinville, Mass.) pitched three scoreless innings to start the game, before UMass-Dartmouth tied the score on two singles, a fielder's choice and a double steal in the fourth frame.  Plasczynski made it into scoring position in the fourth and sixth innings but neither team scored through seven innings. 

Chenoweth survived an eighth inning double by Corsair senior Hailey Lyons to finish her complete game with eight hits and no walks allowed with one strikeout.  Plasczysnki led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, advanced to third when a sacrifice bunt by junior Brianna Malvino (Glen Cove, N.Y.) was thrown away for a two-base error, and scored the clinching run on a single to left field by freshman Lindsay Farinaccio (Red Hook, N.Y.).  Chenoweth outdueled UMass-Dartmouth senior pitcher Kaitlin Shirshac who took the loss despite not yielding an earned run with four strikeouts.  Junior Carly Cordova (East Haven, Conn.) had two hits for the Wolves.

The second game was wild, as WestConn led, 7-3, after four innings but allowed five runs over the last three.  Trailing, 1-0, heading into the bottom of the first frame, WestConn scored three times in the home half.  Senior Rachael Ushka (Southbury, Conn.) and freshman Kendall Allen (Naugatuck, Conn.) both singled and scored, Plasczynski delivered a two-run double, and Malvino drove home Plasczynski with a two-out single in the inning.  Each team scored once in the second inning and the Corsairs added another run in the third to make the score, 4-3.

The Wolves scored three more runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Allen, an RBI single by Plascznski, and a sacrifice fly by Malvino.  UMass-Dartmouth chipped away with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, before taking an 8-7 lead in the seventh.  WestConn got a runner on in the seventh but could not push the tying run across.  Farinacchio pitched the first 5.1 innings and allowed three earned runs, while Chenoweth pitched out of a jam in the sixth but took the loss in the seventh to drop to 2-7.  Shirsac got the win in relief and is now 1--6. Plasczynski was 2-for-4 with three RBIs to finish 6-for-8 in the doubleheader, while three other Wolves also had two hits.