NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- First year pitcher Maddie Castigliego (Bristol, R.I.) hurled a complete-game victory and knocked in three runs to help the Simmons University softball team to a double-header sweep over host Albertus Magnus College, winning the first game, 8-3, before taking the nightcap, 6-3, this afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Shea Stadium in New Haven, Conn. The Sharks win their sixth straight game and seven of their last eight to improve to 10-16 overall, including 4-0 in league play, while the Falcons fall to 11-11 and 0-4.

Simmons racked up 23 hits, including 10 extra-base hits to power the Sharks to a pair of victories.

Castigliego was 3-4 with a triple, three runs batted in and two runs scored, while earning a victory from the pitching circle in game one, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk to go with four strikeouts to improve to 6-4. Junior center fielder Lauren Del Vacchio (Murrieta, Calif.) went 4-7 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while first year third base Alex Morang (Windham, Maine) was 3-6 with a pair of doubles, two runs batted in and a run scored. Senior first base Dom Ortiz (Lawrence, Mass.) collected three hits, including a double and drove in three runs.

The Sharks rallied for five runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to give them the margin they needed for victory.

Simmons loaded the bases in the top of the sixth following a leadoff double from first year Christie Bott (Seaford, N.Y.), a walk worked by Ortiz and a single from sophomore second base Marissa Santoro (Franklin, Mass.) to set up a two-run single from Castigliego to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead. Morang followed with a double to bring in two more runs and give Simmons a three-run cushion. Del Vacchio plated another run with a double to make it 6-2. The Sharks added two more runs in the seventh when Castigliego drove in another run with a triple and scored on the play on an error.

Simmons broke into the scoring column in the top of the first, courtesy of a run-scoring single off the bat of Ortiz.

The Sharks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning of game two, before the Falcons cut the deficit to a run with a three-run fifth. Simmons tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh for the winning difference.

First year shortstop Allie Mulhern (Westford, Mass.) singled to open the third and Del Vacchio put runners on the corners with a one-out single, before sophomore left fielder Ivy Vann (Bend, Ore.) singled in Mulhern with the first run of the game. Bott and Ortiz each followed with doubles, a run-scoring two-bagger from Bott and a two-run knock from Ortiz to give Simmons a 4-0 lead.

Mulhern tripled to open the seventh and later scored, before sophomore right fielder Danielle Carson (Ashland, Mass.) reached on an error and scored on an Ivy sacrifice fly to give the Sharks a 6-3 margin.

Sophomore right-hander Hailey Yabroudy (Amherst, N.H.) improved to 3-6 after giving up three unearned runs on six hits and no walks, while fanning three batters for Simmons.

The Sharks return to action on Thursday, April 11 when they head to Framingham, Mass. to take on Framingham State University for a 3:00 p.m. twinbill.