NEWTON, MA— Rivier College remains undefeated in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) after defeating Lasell College softball twice on Friday afternoon, 6-2 in game one and 3-2 in game two.
Monica White (Augusta, ME) was awarded both wins on the mound for the Raiders (14-1, 8-0 GNAC) striking out 11 batters in 10 innings, giving up just four hits and zero earned runs.
In the first game of the day, two quick innings passed without a score change. The third frame put Rivier on top 1-0 when leadoff hitter Katie Bachinski (Northfield, MA) launched a homer over the left field fence. Rivier added to their advantage in the fourth when Marissa Mercer (N. Smithfield, RI) doubled to left field and advanced to third on an error in the Lasers outfield. Mercer then scored in the next play when Amanda Thornton (Hanover, MA) sent a sacrifice fly into center field, giving the Raiders a 2-0 edge.
Lasell capitalized on a collection of Raider errors in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score at two-all. Rachelle Haas (Middleton, MA) began things with a hit down the right field line. Talia DeChiara (Kingston, MA), Michelle Torres (Waltham, MA), and Ashley Laramie (Lynn, MA) all reached on Raider fielding errors, and Haas and DeChiara scored, unearned. White fanned two Laser batters to end the inning that yielded one hit, two unearned runs and left two on base.
Bachinski struck again in the fifth inning, belting an in the park home run down the right field line, scoring herself and Danielle Magnant (Franklin, VT) who had previously singled to get on base. The fifth ended with the Raiders in the lead, 4-2.
In the seventh, Rivier stretched their advantage to four runs (6-2). Brenna Campbell (Nashua, NH) and White each reached on an error. Lasell’s pitcher Kirsten Mammola (North Reading, MA) struck out her second batter looking, followed by White stealing second. Taylor Cournoyer (Mansfield, MA) hit a double into left center field to score Campbell and White, unearned. Lasell’s offense did not create in the final stanza and the Raiders celebrated their first victory.
White finished the two-hitter striking out seven batters, while ceding no earned runs. Mammola retired three Raider batters in the contest and was charged with the loss.
Game two began in the Lasers favor. Talia DeChiara (Kingston, MA) made the first out for Lasell at short stop, Kelly Silvia (Oaks Bluff, MA) caught White stealing at second and Jacqueline Saluti (Braintree, MA) grabbed a line-out on the left line to end the top of the inning. A one, two, three bottom of the frame concluded in Rivier’s favor, leaving the scoreboard unchanged through the first.
Lasell wound up on top in the second frame which commenced when Ashley Laramie (Lynn, MA) drove a single into shallow left center, followed by a Candace Hankard (Wakefield, MA) double to the center field fence. Michelle Torres (Waltham, MA) earned the RBI on the following play, smacking a sac fly into center field to score Laramie. Tricia Culver (Northampton, MA) dropped in a single through the middle of Rivier’s defense and stole second with two outs to leave two runners in scoring position. Silvia plated Hankard on a fielder’s choice that took a hop between short and third. Culver was out on the play at home to end the inning, 2-0, in favor of the Lasers.
Amanda Ryan (West Bridgewater, MA) put Rivier on the board in the third with a double to center field which turned into an unearned run after a Laser error. Freshman pitcher Alison Saluti (Braintree, MA) fanned her first batter of the game and made the final out fielding a play to first, preventing further damage.
The score stayed steady at 2-1 through the fourth with additional hits by Laramie and Hankard for Lasell, and Thornton for Rivier. Bachinski struck again in the fifth, sending a single up the middle to score Ashley Metivier (Hudson, NH), knotting the score at two-all.
White pulled double-duty in the fifth, replacing Magnant on the mound with the score tired. Haas looked to score the go-ahead run when she rifled a double over the center fielder’s head, then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by DeChiara but the inning ended with a line out to Rivier’s short stop leaving Haas in scoring position.
With two outs in the seventh, Campbell blasted a base hit into the short center field gap. Bachinski attacked once again with a triple to right field which drove in Campbell for the game-winning run. A pop up to second ended the inning.
White struck out two final batters in the second half of the seventh frame to clinch her second win of the day.
Laramie and Hankard each went 2-for-3 for Lasell in game two and Siliva and Torres earned RBI’s in the loss. Jackie Saluti made 10 outs at first base and Alison Saluti fanned three batters, letting up only one earned run on seven total Raider hits.
Bachinski finished the day with two home runs, one triple, five RBI’s and three runs on four total hits.
Lasell (8-11-1, 5-3 GNAC) has the weekend off before returning to non-conference action on Monday, April 5th at 3:00 p.m. when they face a double header with the University of Massachusetts, Boston.