Hartford, Conn. – Junior co-captain 1B Nicole Nardella (Beverly, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and a home run to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 9-5 win against the visiting Colby College Mules in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division softball action this afternoon.  Trinity improves to 10-7 overall and stays perfect in the NESCAC East at 4-0 with its sixth straight victory, while Colby slips to 4-11 overall and 0-1 in the division with its first loss in three games.  The teams will complete a three-game set tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at noon.  

Trinity never trailed, scoring twice in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single by sophomore C Kristina Yu (Andover, Mass.) and a wild pitch, and breaking the game open with five runs in the fourth frame.  Colby cut the early Bantam lead in half in the top of the third on an RBI single by junior 1B Alyssa Lepore (Victor, N.Y.), but answered immediately in the bottom of the inning on solo homer over the centerfield fence by freshman Caroline Blanchard (Norwich, Conn.).  Trinity senior co-captain SS Patricia Cipicchio (Southmont, N.C.) highlighted the five-run fourth inning with a two-run home run, while Nardella blasted her solo shot in the sixth. 

Blanchard, Cipicchio, and senior CF Jessica Tait (North Salem, N.Y.) each had two hits for Trinity, and Blanchard added a double and two RBI.  Senior RHP Kristen Anderson (West Haven, Conn.) improved to 7-3 with her fourth win in a row, despite allowing eight hits and four walks including a three-run homer by Lepore in the top of the seventh inning.  Freshman southpaw Lauren Becker (Falls Church, Va.) took the loss for the Mules in the circle, while Lepore finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, and junior 3B Allyson Cheever (Augusta, Maine) was 2-for-3 for the Colby offense.

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