Cape Coral, FL-The Lasell College softball team found no relief in Florida today as they fell in back-to-back games against Nichols College, 5-0, and Delaware Valley, 4-1.
The Lasers started the day getting shutout against the Bison, though it was just a 2-0 game through the fifth inning. Both teams went quickly through three outs in the first, though Lasell's Rachelle Haas (Middleton, MA) managed one hit as the Lasers' first batter. Rebecca Palmarozza got the first hit for Nichols in the top of the second, singling into left center though Lasell's defense picked her off as she attempted to steal third after a Chelsea Correia base hit. Laser pitcher Alison Saluti (Braintree, MA) ended the inning retiring Shannon Weeks on strikes.
The score remained null until the top of the third inning when Nichols put up a pair of runs. Allasyn Lieneck poked a double into the left field gap and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Jenna Priore. After being hit by a pitch, Barbara Roy scored after a base hit by Palmorozza into left field brought her home.
Errors were the Lasers adversary in the fifth when the Bison added on three more runs. In the second half of the inning, Marissa McHugh (Plymouth, MA) pinch hit for the Lasers, earning a hit and was advanced by Santina Antoshak (Closter, NJ) on a sacrifice bunt. A Kelly Silvia (Oak Bluffs, MA) one-bagger put runners on the corners and two outs. Unfortunately for the Lasers, the Bison shut down their offensive rally and closed the inning without damage.
Jacqueline Saluti (Braintree, MA), Haas, McHugh, and Silvia all got hits for Lasell while Kirsten Mammola (North Reading, MA) walked twice. In the field, Ashley Laramie (Lynn, MA) made 12 put outs and Mammola and Haas combined for 12 assists.
Alison Saluti struck out two batters in five innings of work and Alyson Bermudez (Londonderry, NH) sat one more batter on strikes through two innings of relief.
In the second game of the afternoon, the Lasers took a 1-0 lead in the first and retained that edge through the fifth inning. A three-run homer by the Aggies in the fifth flipped the lead and the Lasers did not recover.
Lasell started things off well when an Antoshak single followed by a Haas slice to the short center gap brought Antoshank around the bag to put Lasell up 1-0 off the bat.
After two more innings commenced, Delaware nearly knotted the score when Katie Gannon reached on a Laser error and advanced on a one-bag hit by Jess Bensinger at the top of the order. Lasell freshman hurler Samantha Whynot (Randolph, MA) struck out Jackie Wear, but a knock by Fox in the next at-bat threatened Lasell's lead as Gannon turned the corner to head home. Michelle Torres (Waltham, MA) got the out at the plate to safeguard Lasell's advantage through three.
McHugh and Talia DeChiara (Kingston, MA) both singled to reach base with one out in the fifth. Antoshak advanced both runners into scoring position with a grounder down the first base line. Delaware was successful in closing the inning with two Lasell runners left on base, and no more change in score.
The deciding inning was the fifth which began when Whynot struck out her first batter before Allison Tomasino and Wear both stroked hits into left field. With runners on first and second, Fox stepped up to bat and ripped a three-run homer over the left field fence changing the swing in the game and putting the Aggies ahead, 3-1. In the next play, Sarah Lazar doubled and rounded third on a passed ball. Mihaliak batted in Lazar with a single up the middle, leaving Lasell behind 4-1 with two outs.
Alison Saluti stepped in to pitch for the final out. A single by pinch hitter Magen Majeski loaded the bases for Saluti, but the sophomore hurler sent her second batter back to the bench on K's.
Two more quick frames left Lasell on a four game skid to start the season.
Whynot finished with four strikeouts, giving up three earned runs in the defeat. Saluti allowed two hits and a strikeout in one and a third innings.
DeChiara went 2-for-2 at the plate for the Lasers who also got hits from Antoshak, Haas, and McHugh. Haas picked up Lasell's only RBI of the game, which was scored by Antoshak. On defense, Laramie finished the game with seven putouts while Torres added six.
The Lasers return to play on Tuesday, March 15th with a 1:00 p.m. game against the University of New England and a 3:00 p.m. game against Amherst College.