Lakewood, N.J. - The University of Bridgeport softball team outhit the host Georgian Court University Lions by a 5-3 margin in Thursday's opening game of the 2022 NCAA East Regional Pod 2 action in New Jersey, but the second-seeded Lions defeated the seventh-seeded Purple Knights in an old-fashioned pitchers' duel, 2-1. UB is now 36-15 on the season, and GCU ups its' season mark to 39-13.
Georgian Court's Kaitlyn Stufft hit a two-run home run, her nineteenth of the season, in the first inning for all her team's offense off Bridgeport ace Kaite Burawski (Jr., Hartly, Del.).
Burawski, who is now 25-7 on the season, allowed only three hits in the contest, as she struck out eight and walked only two batters.
UB scored its lone run on Thursday on a two-out single by sophomore Hailey Kim (Virginia Beach, Va.) in the top of the seventh that moved the tying run to second base, but unfortunately for UB fans, freshman Madison D'Amato (Warwick, R.I.), who extended her hitting streak to 16 games with a third inning single earlier in the day, flied out to end the game.
Mikayla Gilgert earned the win for the host Lions to raise her season record to 26-7, as she pitched a complete game allowing five hits with one unearned run, as she fanned three Purple Knights and walked one.
The UB softball team will be back in action in the 20022 NCAA East Regional on Friday at 1:30 p.m. when the Purple Knights will take on either Wilmington (Del.) University or Franklin Pierce University in an elimination game at Georgian Court.
Provided by the Bridgeport Sports Information Department.
