Blazers Extend Win Streak To 5 With Pair Of 11-3 Wins Over Mitchell

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College softball team extended its winning streak to five games with a pair of 11-3 victories over Mitchell on Sunday afternoon at Condon Field.

The Blazers improve to 8-11 overall and 5-3 in the New England Collegiate Conference with the wins while Mitchell falls to 8-10 overall and 4-2 in league play.

GAME 1 – Elms 11, Mitchell 3 (5 innings)
Every Elms batter had at least one hit and the Blazers tallied 12 hits in total to get the win in the early game. Tyla Risucci, Madison Messier and Catharine Wrang each picked up two hits to lead the Elms bats.

After a quick first inning, Elms scored three runs in the bottom of the second to pull ahead 3-0. Mitchell responded with three runs of its own in the top of the third to tie the game at 3-3, but Elms scored three more in the bottom of the third, two in the bottom of the fourth and three in the bottom of the fifth to get the win.

Lisa Lusardi scattered seven hits in the pitchers circle for Elms giving up just three runs, all of which were unearned. She struck out four batters and walked two in the win. Mitchell pitcher Taylor Duchesneau struck out four Elms batters but was roughed up for nine earned runs.

GAME 2 – Elms 11, Mitchell 3 (5 innings)
Raeanna Tumel took a no-hitter into the fifth inning as the Blazers jumped out to a 9-0 lead and shut down a late Mariner rally to pick up their second 11-3 win of the day.

Trailing 9-0 in the fifth and facing another possible run-rule decision, the Mariners rattled off three-straight two-out hits, chasing Tumel and scoring three runs to extend the game before Lusardi recorded the final out in the inning.

The Blazers took advantage of a lead-off walk in the bottom of the fifth as Lusardi singled before Elizabeth Olszewski had an RBI-single and Messier ended the game with an RBI-double.

Tumel recorded five strikeouts without walking a Mariner batter before giving up four hits and three earned runs in the fifth. She was also one of six Blazer hitters to record two hits on the day, going 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI. Messier went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the game, while Katelyn Sylvia, Olszewski, Risucci, Wrang and Jeszy McGuire also finished with a pair of hits.

Elms will put its win-streak on the line on April 12 in a non-conference double-header at Nichols before returning home for an NECC double-header against Dean on April 15.