PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Top-seeded Rhode Island College came scored four times in the fourth inning to come back from a 1-0 deficit and defeat third-seeded Eastern Connecticut, 4-2, in game five of the 2009 Little East Conference Softball Championship Tournament at the Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex.

RIC’s (38-4) will have to wait until after game six (noon) between fifth-seeded Plymouth State and fourth-seeded Western Connecticut to find out its next opponent. The Anchorwomen will play the winner of that contest today at 4 p.m. Eastern Connecticut (25-11) is eliminated from the tournament.

Eastern Connecticut freshman right fielder Priscilla Alicea (Stratford, Conn.) led off the fourth with a double to left center field, advanced to second on sophomore left fielder Katie Dinihanian’s (Stratford, Conn.) ground out, then scored on an Anchorwoman throwing error to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

Rhode Island College loaded the bases with two out in the fourth, but Eastern Connecticut freshman pitcher Molly Rathbun (Hebron, Conn.) got senior left fielder Kelli McCartin (Cranston, R.I.) to ground out to third base to end the threat

Eastern threatened to add a run in the fifth, putting runners on first and third with two away, but Rhode Island College sophomore pitcher Amanda Berard (Swansea, Mass.) got freshman pinch hitter Christine Yeomans (Durham, Conn.) to ground back to the pitching circle to end the frame.

Rhode Island College quickly loaded the bases in the sixth as sophomore catcher Laura Kostenblatt (Keene, N.H.) walked, classmate first baseman Chelsi Panarelli (Shrewsbury, Mass.) reached on an error and junior center fielder Jackie Dube (Barrington, N.H.) laid down a perfect bunt single. With two out, Mattoon blooped a single to center field to tie the game.

Sophomore second baseman Amanda Perry (New Bedford, Mass.) then broke the game open with a two-run single to center field. As Perry advanced to second, Mattoon raced home to make the score, 4-1.

The Warriors weren’t done as Alicea crushed the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for her first home run (1) in the bottom of the inning. Dinihanian reached on a bunt single, but Berard got senior first baseman Rachel Denny (East Haddam, Conn.) to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Rathbun singled, but Berard erased junior center fielder Ashley Sullivan (Trumbull, Conn.) to ground back to the pitching circle to end the inning.

Berard hurled a scoreless seventh to earn the win (13-2). She allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on seven hits, while striking out three. Rathbun took the loss (16-5), allowing four unearned runs on seven hits, while recording seven strikeouts.

                                                                   -end-