NEWTON, Mass. (4/7/15) – The Lasell College softball team dropped a pair of games to Bridgewater State University in non-conference action Tuesday afternoon at Taylor Field. With the losses, the Lasers sink to 5-15 overall, while the Bears climb to 11-5 on the year.
Game One: Bridgewater: 11 Lasell: 0
Junior Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) and freshman Ashley Gatchell (Franklin, Mass.) chipped in with the only hits of the game for the Lasers.
Senior Jocelyn Bettencourt (Plymouth, Mass.) and sophomore Courtney Leddy (Saugus, Mass.) led the Bears in game one, each driving in a single run to go along with two hits from two plate appearances. Sophomore Kelly McCarthy (Burlington, Mass.) had a homerun and three RBI's, while senior Jessica Laudati (Berkley, Mass.) and sophomore Tara McCann (Fall River, Mass.) each chipped in with a pair of RBI's.
With Leddy and Bettencourt on base, McCarthy opened up the game in the first inning with a deep homer to left field to advance the visitors 3-0. In the top of the third, Bettencourt resumed second via a Leddy single to left, where the Bears registered two runs from a Laudati double to right field. McCann took the plate with two outs and the bases loaded to hit a two-RBI double to center field, giving the Bears a 5-0 cushion.
Bridgewater secured the victory in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits. Sophomore Jackie Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) worked a walk to juice the bases once more, where Shaffer cracked a single to left to score sophomore Samantha LoPilato (Medford, Mass.). The Bears capitalized on a Lasell wild pitch to score the following run, and closed the game with a Bettencourt RBI.
Freshman Magdalen Trainor (Worcester, Mass.) took the loss for the Lasers and dropped her record to 0-2 on the year. McCarthy added a two-hit five inning game to her stellar hitting performance, and improved her overall record to 2-2.
Game Two: Bridgewater: 13 Lasell: 9
The Lasers bounced back in game to and cranked out 18 hits, highlighted by junior Erin Larghi (Wakefield, R.I.), who went 3-for-4, with a double, a triple, and one RBI. Sophomore Emily Noll (Weymouth, Mass.) swung into a double with one RBI from her 5-for-5 performance, while LeBlanc went 3-for-5 to go along with two runs and a pair of RBI's.
Laudati paced the Bears with two homers, four hits, and six runs batted in. McCann went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while McCarthy repeated an impressive hitting presentation with three RBI's.
The Bears repeated a 3-0 lead in the first inning highlighted by Laudati two-RBI homer to left field. The Lasers responded in their next at-bat, dishing out three hits to go along with three runs scored. After Larghi worked a walk to reach first, LeBlanc singled to right field, where Larghi sprinted home after an error by the Bears' right fielder. Junior Emily DeAngelis (Shelton, Conn.) sent LeBlanc home on the next play with a deep double down the right field line, where she then advanced home on a wild pitch to knot the game 3-3.
Following a 1-2-3 inning from the Bears, the hosts resumed the plate to pile in four runs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Alyson Sliwa (Chicopee, Mass.) cranked her first career double to center field, where she was sent home from a deep triple by Larghi. A single up the middle from LeBlanc scored the next two runs for the Lasers for the 7-3 lead. Junior Samantha Buote (Plymouth, Mass.) cracked a single to center field to score LeBlanc for the final run of the Lasers' second-inning rally.
The Bears would not let down, however, as McCarthy singled to left field for an RBI that gave the visitors another point on the board. Laudati took the plate on the next play and cranked her second homer of the game to trail the hosts by just one at 7-6.
Shaffer took first base for Welch who worked a walk in the fourth, where she tied the game 7-7 from an error by Lasell's first baseman. Laudati came in clutch on the next play, scoring the go-ahead run with a single to right field.
Down 13-7, the Lasers fired back with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Senior Denise Archetto (Cranston, R.I.) reached second from a deep double to left, where she sprinted home via a deep single down the right field line by LeBlanc. Despite the pressure of two outs and one to go, Noll doubled to center field to bring DeAngelis home, but the effort was unjustified as the Bears took the game 13-9.
Trainor scattered six hits and six runs (four earned) in three innings pitched, while freshman Andrea Kane (Burlington, Mass.) pitched four innings of relief with six hits and seven runs (four earned) to take the loss for Lasell (0-1). McCarthy pitched six innings, allowing 13 hits and three runs (two earned) to grab her fourth win of the season (3-2).
Both teams jump into conference action on Wednesday, April 8. The Lasers welcome The University of Saint Josephs (Conn.) for a GNAC twin bill with first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m., while the Bears host Westfield State University for a MASCAC doubleheader starting at 2:00 p.m.