Blue Jays Clip Softball 7-4

Blue Jays Clip Softball 7-4
NEWTON, Mass. (4/8/15)– The Lasell College softball team fell to the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.),7-4 in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Taylor Field. With the loss, Lasell drops to 5-16 overall and 2-7 in GNAC play, while Saint Joseph's improves to 10-9 and 6-3 conference contests this spring.  

Lasers' freshman pitcher Magdelane Trainor (Worcester, Mass.) threw the first four innings, but shouldered the loss. Trainor allowed seven hits, six runs (three earned) and one walk. Sophomore Krystel Enko (Haydenville, Mass.) allowed one run (earned), two hits and five walks over the final three frames in relief. 

Junior Erin Larghi (Wakefield, R.I.) went 3-for-4 and scored a run from the leadoff position, while classmate Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) roped a home run to right field and senior Denise Archetto (Cranston, R.I.) registered two RBI's this afternoon for Lasell. 

Blue Jays' junior pitcher Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) improved her record to 7-3 this spring and allowed four runs (all earned), 10 hits alongside three punch-outs in a complete game effort. Sciglimpaglia helped her own cause offensively by scoring a run and bringing home two more runners on a single and an error, respectively. 

The visitors put a two-spot on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. After junior outfielder Haley McCall (Lebanon, Conn.) led off the game with a single to the left side and senior Sarah Miller (Southington, Conn.) got on base via a fielding error, P. Sciglimpaglia lined a single to the shortstop that gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Ashley Tucker (Middletown, Conn.) hit a ball to deep left field, which allowed Miller to cross the plate and extend their lead to 2-0.

A sacrifice fly to centerfield by Blue Jays' infielder Sarah Ercoli (Watertown, Conn.) made the score 3-0 in top of the second inning. 

It became a whole new ballgame when the Lasers brought home three runs in the bottom of the third inning and knotted the score 3-3. Sophomore Erin Smith (Gorham, Maine) singled to left field and advanced all the way to third base after a wild pitch and a single via Larghi. Archetto came to the plate and roped a two-run double to left field that cleared the bases. Junior Emily DeAngelis (Shelton, Conn.) tied the game on a single to right field that brought home Archetto and tied the game, 3-3.

Saint Joseph's responded with three runs of their own in the top of the next half inning. McCall was waved home after Lasell made a fielding error and Tucker drove a home run over the center field fence that gave the Blue Jays the lead for good, 6-3.

A home run by LeBlanc in the bottom of the sixth inning cut the Lasers' deficit to three runs, 6-4. With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, the visitors brought home the all-important insurance run when Ercoli grounded out to the shortstop, which in result plated the Blue Jays seventh run of the contest, 7-4. 

Lasell had runners on second and third with one out in the inning, but the P. Scimpaglia got the batter to ground out into a double play that sealed the contest, 7-4, for the visiting Blue Jays. 

The second game of the doubleheader was called at the conclusion of game one due to heavy rain. The makeup date for this contest is set for a future date and time to be announced later this season.

Lasell will play Simmons at home as the visiting team in a GNAC doubleheader on Friday, April 10 with first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m., while Saint Joseph's head to Elms for a non-conference matchup tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, April 9 at 4:00 p.m.