Newton, MA – The Lasell College softball team rallied for a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference wins over visiting Suffolk University, scoring the go ahead run in their final at bat of both games. The Lasers swept the twinbill, 7-4 in the first game and 5-4 in the second. Lasell improved to 3-15 overall and 3-5 in conference, while Suffolk fell to 8-10 on the season and 2-6 in GNAC play.
Game One: Suffolk jumped out to an early lead in the opener, putting up two runs in the top half of the first inning courtesy of a two RBI double by Nikki Cignarella (Norwood, MA). The hosts got one run back in the bottom of the third inning after Brianna Gowans (Berlin, VT) walked, stole second and scored on an error.
The Rams scored a pair in the top of the fourth inning, to bring their lead to 4-1. Lasell picked up two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Mary Fontaine (Nashua, NH) doubled and Marissa McHugh (Plymouth, MA) crushed a two-run homerun to left-center field. The McHugh blast trimmed the Suffolk lead to 4-3, heading into the seventh inning.
Suffolk was unable to add any insurance runs in the top of the seventh, and Lasell entered the final half inning trailing by a run. Brianna Gowans opened the inning with a triple, giving the Lasers the tying run on third base with nobody out. Denise Archetto (Cranston, RI) swung and missed at strike three, but advanced to first when the ball squirted away from the Rams catcher, and Gowans scored tying the game. After consecutive outs by Lasell, Cassie Wadden (Brookfield, MA) singled to keep the Lasell rally alive. Freshman Mary Fontaine faced a two –out situation with runners on the corners and responded by drilling the offering from Sarah Chasse (Salem, MA) over the fence, giving Lasell a 3-run walk-off homerun to win the game.
Cassie Wadden earned the win for Lasell, going seven innings and allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out five. Chasse struck out six while going six and two-third innings and yield seven runs, only two of which were earned while picking up the loss for Suffolk.
Game Two: The second game of the doubleheader started out as a pitcher's duel, as both hurlers held the opposition scoreless through the games first three innings. Lasell threatened in each of the first three innings, getting two runners aboard in all three but failing to push across the first run of the game.
Suffolk plated a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, when Karina Bolster (Carlisle, PA) ripped two-run single through the infield giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. The Lasers got one run back in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Denise Archetto, cutting the Rams edge to 2-1.
After a scoreless fifth, Suffolk put a pair of runners on in the top of the sixth, but was unable to capitalize and headed into the bottom of the inning with a 2-1 lead. Lasell responded, getting an RBI double from Archetto and an RBI single from Santina Antoshak (Closter, NJ) to take a 3-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh.
Alison Saluti (Braintree, MA) struck out a pair of Rams to start the seventh, but Suffolk would battle back, stringing together a single by Sarah Chasse and RBI doubles by Nicole Rosa (Wallingford, CT) and Erin McAndrews (Marblehead, MA) to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the inning.
Jacqui Saluti (Braintree, MA) opened the bottom of the seventh with a single, and was replaced by pinch runner Jazmin Brito (Newton, MA). Brito was sacrificed to second by Rachelle Haas (Middleton, MA), giving the Lasers a runner on second with only one out. Brito scored on a single by Courtney Moen (Brookfield, MA), and the Brianna Gowans singled to give the hosts runners on the corners with one out. Freshman Denise Archetto ripped a single to score the game winning run helping the Lasers to their first doubleheader sweep of the season.
Alison Saluti earned the win for Lasell, yielding four runs on seven hits while striking out eight. Liz Galvin (Medway, MA) took the loss for Suffolk, giving up five runs on sixteen hits on the day.
Suffolk will face-off against St. Joseph's (CT) tomorrow March 31st, while Lasell will host GNAC foe Johnson and Wales at 12pm.