NEW HAVEN—Katie Donahey’s first home run of the season proved to be a big one.
In fact, Donahey’s walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Bulldogs a 7-3 victory over in-state rival Central Connecticut State University during their second meeting of the weekend at Yale’s Bulldog Invitational.
With the game tied at 3-3 entering the home half of the seventh inning, the Bulldogs wasted little time in getting runners on base.
Ella Gandolfo and Kaitlyn Oikle both walked to opening the inning. Ella Cross then loaded the bases when she reached on an error.
Donahey, a senior out of Phoenix, stepped to plate and blasted her grand slam to left-center field, giving Yale the win.
The Bulldogs struck first in the first.
Donahey’s one-out double got things going for Yale and proved to be a harbinger of things to come for CCSU, which issued 10 walks in the game.
After all, after Donahey’s double it was two walks and a hit-batsman that allowed her to score, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the third, Central answered and got the lead.
Grace Lawton’s lead-off double preceded Madison Piri’s RBI single to tie the game. Piri would later to score on Joslyn Teal’s infield single, giving the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead.
Yale took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth.
With the bases loaded (via a single, a walk and a hit-by-pitch), Ava Kang scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2. Later, after a fielder’s choice re-loaded the bases, Gandolfo drew a walk to push home another run for a 3-2 Yale lead.
Central refused to give up and answered in the top of the sixth.
Ava Cino doubled home Reagan Vunak, who had walked and stole second.
That tied the game, but one inning later, Yale would walk off the game and CCSU would fall to 2-13.
Sienna Reynolds got her first win of the season for the Bulldogs, scattering nine hits but giving up just two earned runs. She struck out one and walked just two.
Yale will face Sacred Heart on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the final in-state matchup of the Bulldog Invitational.
Central Connecticut will face Maine at 11 a.m.
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