NEWTON, Mass. (4/29/16) – The Lasell softball team took both sides of a non-conference twinbill with Pine Manor College on Friday afternoon at Taylor Field. The Lasers improve to 10-24 overall while the Gators drop to 9-18.
Game One: Lasell 7 Pine Manor 3
The montage of ribbies for the Lasers was led by sophomore Laura MacLeod (Old Saybrook, Conn.), who drove in three runs on a 2-for-4 showing at the plate. Senior Erin Larghi (Wakefield, R.I.) and junior Erin Smith (Gorham, Maine) each swung into three hits with one RBI, while seniors Emily DeAngelis (Shelton, Conn.) and Eileen Bergin (Arlington, Mass.) knocked in a run as well.
Gators' freshman Ashley Huber hit into a double and knocked in a run in the deficit, joined by sophomore Cadejia Matthews-Austin who also recorded a hit and an RBI.
The Lasers got things going early in their first at bats, as MacLeod hit into a bases loaded single to score DeAngelis. Bergin did her job at the plate with a sac fly to center to put the Lasers up 2-0 at the end of one.
Error troubled plagued the Lasers in the third inning, as an infield bobble deadlocked the game 2-2 with Matthews-Austin and Tiana Jordan reaching home on the play. The Gators again capitalized on an infield error from the Lasers, as Ashley Whiteshield followed a single to left with a run of her own to break the stalemate 3-2.
A game-changing sixth inning put the Lasers on top for good as Lasell tacked on five runs with five hits to pull ahead 7-3. Senior Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) led off the inning with a single to left, and worked her way to third after a groundout by freshman Maggie King (Sandy Creek, N.Y.) and an infield error on the Gators. LeBlanc ignited the five-run charge off a DeAngelis single to left field, who eventually came around to score, joining Larghi and freshman Lydia Lewis-Hicks (Seekonk, Mass.).
Bergin (5-11) pitched a complete game for the Lasers and fanned a tremendous ten batters and allowed zero earned runs, while Amber Schuman (5-10) took the loss on 6.0 innings tossed with seven earned runs.
Game Two: Lasell 23 Pine Manor 6
Lasell cranked out 16 hits in game two highlighted by a 3-for-4 showing from DeAngelis. Freshman Marissa Spivey (Brockton, Mass.) swung into a hit in each of her at-bats, and knocked in a trio of ribbies, while sophomore Kelsey Hagan (Narragansett, R.I.) recorded two runs batted in as well.
Despite the deficit, Huber had a standout performance at the plate with two home runs and five RBI's. Huber's pair of homers puts her at nine on the year with 30 total RBI's. Schuman and Chardonai Rose also swung into a pair of hits for Pine Manor, while Brittny Desmond knocked in the remaining RBI.
Lewis-Hicks (3-3) pitched a full game of 5.0 innings, allowing six earned runs while retiring five Gators, while Huber (3-5) took the loss on the hill with 10 earned runs.
The Lasers will close out the 2016 season with a twinbill at Taylor Field tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., as they host the Monks of Saint Joseph's Maine in their GNAC finale.