Newton, Mass (4/9/13) – The Lasell College softball team suffered a pair defeats in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action to the Cadets of Norwich University, falling 7-3 and 7-6. Norwich ran their winning streak to 17 and pushed their overall record to 17-4 while remaining perfect in the conference at 12-0. Lasell dropped to 6-19 for the 2013 campaign while sliding to 3-10 in the league.
Game One:
Santina Antoshak (Closter, N.J.) had a pair of singles in four at-bats and scored twice to spark the Lasell attack, Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) had a single and a double, driving in a run and Eileen Bergin (Arlington, Mass.) had a pair of singles and collecting one RBI. Bergin was the losing pitcher in the game, hurling six innings and giving up six runs, four earned while striking out two.
Norwich's Abby Belcher (Winthrop, Mass.) finished 3 for 4 in the game with two singles and a home run while scoring three times. Nicole Byers (Iron Mountain, Mich.) and Briana Day (Yelm, Wash.) each knocked in a pair of runs to help the Cadets to a victory in the first game. Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) collected the complete game victory in the circle, fanning 13 hitters while scattering seven hits and holding Lasell to three runs.
Briana Day got the Cadets on the board in the top of the first with a two-run single to take a 2-0 lead.
Lasell got one run back in the bottom half of the inning, when Antoshak singled to start the inning, later coming in to score on a double by LeBlanc to cut the Norwich lead to 2-1.
Abby Belcher hit a two-out solo home run in the top of the second to give Norwich a 3-1 edge.
Santina Antoshak reached on an error to start the bottom of the third inning, and moved to third on consecutive groundouts before scoring on a passed ball to bring the hosts back within a run at 3-2.
Norwich picked up two more runs in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Kelly Travers and a run scoring ground out off the bat of Byers to build a 5-2 advantage. Taylor Morris singled in a run in the top of the sixth to take a 6-2 lead.
Lasell opened the bottom of the sixth with a pair of singles and after a walk to Michaelea Grady (Worcester, Mass.) loaded the bases with one out, Baita got a strike out to leave the Lasers two outs. Bergin singled to plate a run and bring Lasell back within three runs at 6-3, however Baita avoided further damage by recording an inning ending strikeout.
The Cadets added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when a Byers single made the score 7-3.
Lasell again loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, but Baita again rose to the occasion recording a strikeout to escape the jam and help Norwich to a 7-3 victory.
Game Two:
Nicole LeBlanc led the Lasell offense with a double and two singles and a pair of RBI's, and Eileen Bergin singled and doubled while driving in a pair of runs. Santina Antoshak and Michaelea Grady each added two singles for Lasell. Alison Saluti (Braintree, Mass.) took the loss for Lasell, allowing seven runs, only four earned runs, while surrendering 11 hits.
Briana Day had a big day at the plate for Norwich finishing with a home run, two singles, two runs scored and three driven in. Angie Hershberger (Felton, Calif.) doubled and homered in four at-bats to help the Cadets, and Payton Warner (Harwich, Mass.) chipped in with a single and a double in three at-bats. Kaylie Miller (Long Lake, N.Y.) improved to 8-0 on the mound for Norwich, earning the complete game victory while allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits.
Belcher walked and Kelly Travers (Whitman, Mass.) singled to put runners on the corners with one out for Norwich, and the Cadets benefited from a throwing error that allowed two runs to score to take a 2-0 lead. Day then singled to plate the third run of the inning for Norwich, eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly to push the visitors lead to 4-0 after one half inning of play.
Lasell responded with five runs in the home half of the first, getting a pair on a double by LeBlanc, who scored on a passed ball to cut the Norwich lead to 4-3. Bergin then knocked in two runs with a two-out double of her own to give Lasell a 5-4 lead.
An RBI single by Grady in the bottom of the second put the Lasers on top 6-4.
In the top of the fifth Byers reached on a two-out single, before Day tied the game on a two-run home run. Hershberger followed with a solo home run to give the Cadets a 7-6 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Lasell used a one-out single by Grady and a walk to put runners on first and second but their rally stalled out when Miller recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Lasell will face Simmons Wednesday afternoon in a single game at 4:00 p.m. and Norwich will host Mount Ida in a doubleheader on Wednesday as well.