FITCHBURG, Mass. – Fitchburg State University outscored Lasell College 29-18 and outhit the Lasers 33-18 Thursday afternoon to sweep a non-conference doubleheader, 16-8 and 13-10, in college softball action at the Donna Lee Withington Memorial Field.
The Falcons took the opening game in five innings, but had to come back from a 9-4 deficit to take the nightcap, scoring the decisive runs with a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Fitchburg improves to 19-9 overall, while Lasell drops to 3-19.
Junior Arianna Genovese (Rocky Hill, Conn.) led the Lasers with a huge afternoon at the plate. She went 6-for-8 in the doubleheader with three doubles, a triple and five runs batted in.
Lasell returns to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action this weekend with a pair of home doubleheaders against the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) on Saturday, April 13, at noon and vs. Regis College on Sunday, April 14, also at noon. The Falcons will travel to Bridgewater State on Saturday afternoon to take on the Bears in a MASCAC doubleheader starting at noon.
Game 1 – Fitchburg State 16, Lasell 8 (5 innings)
Lasell jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the visitor side of the first inning with juniors Victoria Spellman (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Sarah Kline (Vernon, Conn.) and sophomore Sarah Walton (Poland, Maine) each delivering RBI at-bats.
With table setters Michelle LeBlanc (Ashburnham, Mass.) and McKenzie Lambert (Wilbraham, Mass.) on base, senior Nicole Sylvester (Everett, Mass.) delivered a double to left field platting LeBlanc. Lambert would score when Michaela Harnois (Attleboro, Mass.) reach on an error by Lasell. Up next freshman Audrey Johnson (Fitchburg, Mass.) belted a double to center field scoring Sylvester to tie the game, 3-3. Freshman Olivia Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) gave the Falcons the lead for good with a line drive to left field scoring Harnois. The Green and Gold would tack on six more unearned runs to hold a commanding lead (10-3) after one complete.
The Green and Gold struck for six more runs on seven hits in the second frame. A 2-RBI double from junior Emma Campbell (Goffstown, N.H.) highlighted the inning.
The visitors answered back in the top of the third inning. Genovese tripled home classmate Spellman and Nicolette Genkos (Ellington, Conn.) drew a bases-loaded walk as the Lasers cut the deficit to 16-8.
Freshman Lundyn Forcier (Woonsocket, R.I.) pitched a clean fourth and fifth inning for the Falcons to earn her first collegiate win. In 2.1 innings of relief she allowed just one hit with one strikeout.
Genovese finished 2-for-3 with a double and a triple and one RBI for Lasell, while Walton was 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Game 2 – Fitchburg State 13, Lasell 10
Both teams notched runs in the first inning of game 2. Genovese doubled home sophomore Hailey Haskins (Franklin, N.H.) for an early 1-0 lead for the Lasers. The Falcons forged ahead 2-1, capitalizing on a pair of Lasell miscues in the home half.
Trailing 3-2, freshman Courtney Luker (North Reading, Mass) and LeBlanc knotted the score with back-to-back doubles, in the home half of the second inning. Two batters later LeBlanc scored on Johnson's single up the middle to reclaim the lead.
Lasell responded in the top of the third inning, drawing a two-out bases loaded walk to even it up (4-4). Genovese delivered a bases clearing double to push the lead to 9-4.
After a pair scoreless innings for the Green and Gold, the bats got hot again. With the bases full of Falcons LeBlanc crushed a triple to deep center field and scored when Lambert followed with a base hit to right field. Two more unearned runs came across to give the home team the lead (10-9) once again.
Lasell retied the contest (10-10) in top of the sixth as sophomore Kailey Bell (Pittsfield, Mass.) reached on a fielding miscue that allowed Genkos to cross the plate, but the Green and Gold answered back in their half of the sixth with Lambert collecting an RBI double, while Sylvester followed with a two run single down the right field line, resulting in the 13-10, game two final to complete the sweep.
Junior Mikayla Harnois (Attleboro, Mass.) picked up the win in game two for Fitchburg State, allowing one unearned run on five hits with one K in four innings of relief. Sophomore Hannah Doherty (Hampton, N.H.) took the loss for Lasell, yielding three runs on three hits with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work.
Genovese finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, one run scored and four RBI for the Lasers. Freshman Brianna Gendreau (Warren, R.I.) and Haskins chipped in with one RBI each for Lasell.
(Courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information)
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