NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  After a late Wellesley rally in the opener resulted in a 1-5 loss, Coast Guard softball blanked the Blue for a 2-0 victory in the second game of their weekend-opening New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader. Highlighting the day was junior right-hander Emma Behel (Ellicott City, Md.), who threw the first complete game shutout of her collegiate career in game two to help the Bears to the afternoon sweep.

Coast Guard moves to 8-7-1 on the season and 3-3 against conference foes, while Wellesley moves to 10-9-1 and 5-3 in both regards. The Blue will face further league adversity when they head over to Worcester for an April 13th twinbill with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (11-9, 2-4 NEWMAC).

The Bears were bringing a 1-0 lead into the top of the sixth inning thanks to an RBI single by senior captain Veronica Krystofik (Colchester, Conn.) back in the bottom of the third, but a well-placed Wellesley sac bunt with runners on the corners successfully tied the game. A single by the Blue's next batter gave the visitors a 2-1 lead.

A three-spot by Wellesley in the top seventh put the game out of reach for the Bears, who were blanked in their at-bats in the bottom sixth and seventh. Krystofik reached base three times in the contest, tallying a hit and a walk besides her RBI single. Freshman utility player Hayden Reilly (Prosper, Tex.) was one of three other Bears to tally a hit with her double in the bottom fifth, while four other Bears besides Krystofik earned free passes to first base.

Now looking for a split to stay at .500 in NEWMAC play, Coast Guard gave the ball to Behel for her fourth start in the circle this season, but the Marylander made an impact with the bat by driving in the first run of the game with a second inning sacrifice fly to left field. The Bears extended their lead to two in the bottom fifth after sophomore shortstop Mack Murnane (Wilmington, N.C.) singled to right field to drive in Krystofik.

In the circle, Behel utilized her eephus-like changeup to limit Wellesley to three hits while earning three strikeouts, but the junior faced challenges throughout due to allowing five walks while the Bears committed five errors on the day. But Behel persevered, getting out of multiple situations where Wellesley threatened to score and stranding ten Blue runners throughout the game.

Junior infielder Bridget Bartz (Arlington, Va.) posted a 3-for-3 day while earning credit as the run scored on Behel's sac fly. RIley and sophomore Abriana Schmutz (Marysville, Ohio) also recorded hits, with Riley being one of two Bears to reach via a walk in the game alongside Krystofik.

Bears softball will be back at it on April 15th when they ship up to Boston for a NEWMAC clash against Emerson College (10-8, 2-2 NEWMAC). Coast Guard took both games in last season's clash, winning the first one by run-rule in five innings at 16-0.