NEWTON, Mass. (4/1/14) – The Lasell College softball team dropped a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference games to Norwich University on Tuesday afternoon at Taylor Field. The Lasers slipped to 10-6 on the season and 3-3 in GNAC games while the Cadets climbed to 7-5 for the year and 2-0 in league contests. Norwich captured a 2-0 result in a pitcher's duel in game one before out-slugging Lasell 9-3 in the second game of the double dip.
Game One – Norwich 2 – Lasell 0
Eileen Bergin (Arlington, Mass.) scattered eight hits and two walks through six innings of work to limit Norwich to two runs on the afternoon but was saddled with the loss for Lasell. Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) and Denise Archetto (Cranston, R.I.) each singled for the Lasers, but those were the only two hits Lasell could muster.
Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) twirled a two-hit complete game shutout to collect the win in the circle for Norwich, striking out eight over seven innings to notch the victory. Kelly Travers (Whitman, Mass.) doubled twice for the Cadets and drove in one run, and Melissa Rome (Enfield, Conn.) doubled and drove in the other run for Norwich. Angie Hershberger (Felton, Calif.) singled twice and scored a run for Norwich as well.
Norwich opened the game strong, getting a double from Travers to lead-off the game but she was thrown out at third attempting to steal. Justina George (Wallingford, Conn.) walked then came around to score on a double by Rome before Bergin induced a pair of groundouts to escape the jam. Hershberger reached on a fielder's choice in the Cadets half of the second inning, eventually scoring when Travers doubled for the second straight at-bat to give Norwich a 2-0 lead.
Neither team was able to get much going offensively until Lasell threatened in the top of the seventh inning. LeBlanc walked to lead-off the inning and Archetto reached on an error to give Lasell a pair of runners on with nobody out. Emily Noll (Weymouth, Mass.) grounded out to advance the runners but Baita recorded a strike out and a ground out to preserve the victory.
Game Two – Norwich 9 – Lasell 3
Lasell rapped out 10 singles but stranded eight runners on base as they dropped the second game of the doubleheader 9 to 3. Archetto finished with three singles, a run scored and an RBI, while LeBlanc, Courtney Moen (Brookfield, Mass.) and Eileen Bergin each singled twice in the game. Krystel Enko (Haydenville, Mass.) took the loss, going two and a third innings and giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits and a pair of walks before giving way to Samantha Whynot (Randolph, Mass.). Whynot went three and two third innings yielding 11 hits and six runs in relief.
Travers had a big day in the second game for Norwich, notching a single, double and a home run while scoring twice and driving in one run. Abby Belcher (Winthrop, Mass.) added a single and a homerun with a pair of runs and one batted in as the Cadets knocked out 14 hits to pick up the victory. Kaylie Miller (Long Lake, N.Y.) tossed seven innings to pick up the win, scattering 10 hits and a pair of walks while allowing three runs, two earned for Norwich.
The Lasers loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning on a walk by Bergin and consecutive singles by LeBlanc and Archetto but were unable to capitalize, leaving the bases loaded. Travers lead off with a double for the second straight game for Norwich and Justina George walked as did Belcher to give the Cadets the bases loaded with one out. Travers came in to score on an RBI groundout by Erin Clark (Newbury, Vt.) before George came in to score on a passed ball to put Norwich up 2-0.
Lasell got a run back in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single by Archetto, but again stranded a pair of runners, trailing 2-1 through two and a half innings. A Belcher solo blast with one out in the bottom of the third inning gave Norwich a 3-1 lead and chased Enko who was replaced by Whynot. Clark singled and Briana Day (Yelm, Mass.) doubled putting runners on second and third with still only one out before an infield single by Payton Warner (Harwich, Mass.) loaded the bases. Hershberger singled through the infield to make it 4-1 and Kaylie Miller helped her own cause with a two-run single giving Norwich a 6-1 edge.
Archetto and Emily Noll knocked out consecutive singles to open the sixth inning then advanced to second and third on a throwing error before coming in to score on back-to-back RBI groundouts from Molly Pritchett (Lebanon, Maine) and Michaelea Grady (Worcester, Mass.) cutting the deficit to 6-3 and heading to the bottom of the sixth inning.
Travers led off the Norwich turn at the plate with a solo home run and the Cadets tacked on two more insurance runs courtesy of run-scoring singles from Day and Warner to produce the final 9-3 margin.