Softball Picks Up Sweep At Anna Maria

PAXTON, Mass. – The Elms College softball team swept a non-conference double-header at Anna Maria on Monday, winning a back-and-forth game one 8-5 before closing the day with a 13-1 win.

Elms improves to 12-15 on the season with the sweep while Anna Maria drops to 2-32 on the year.

Elms will return to action with a double-header against Eastern Nazarene on Wednesday before jumping back into New England Collegiate Conference play with the final home series of the regular-season, a double-header against Wheelock beginning at 3:00 p.m.

GAME 1 – Elms 8, Anna Maria 5
Elms jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring once each in the first, second and third innings. Anna Maria, however, tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the third then took a 5-3 lead with a two-run homer from Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.) in the bottom of the fourth.

But the Blazer offense wasn't done. Back-to-back singles from Lisa Lusardi (Enfield, Conn.) and Jeszy McGuire (Brimfield, Mass.) and a walk to Raeanna Tumel (Stafford, Conn.) loaded the bases with two outs. Tea Sullivan (Dracut, Mass.) capitalized with a two-run single, and Katelyn Sylvia (Southwick, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to make it 6-5 in favor of Elms.

Elms added two more runs in the sixth with hits from Madison Messier (Warren, Mass.), Elizabeth Olszewski (Canterbury, Conn.) and Lusardi to take the decisive 8-5 advantage.

Sullivan went 3-for-4 at the plate in the game and finished with two RBIs. Olszewski went 2-for-4 with a double and Lusardi finished 2-for-2 at the plate and walked twice.

Tumel started the game and allowed three earned runs through three innings before Lusardi came in for the final four innings, striking out five while giving up just two runs.

GAME 2 – Elms 13-, Anna Maria 1 (6 Innings)
Elms tallied 14 hits and Lusardi allowed just one run in a complete game pitching performance as the Blazers clinched the double-header sweep with a 13-1 win in game two.

Lusardi scattered eight hits and struck out one without allowing a walk in the game. Meanwhile, the Blazers offense provided plenty of run support. Elms picked up three runs in the first inning and four more in the second, and the Blazers never looked back.

Olszewski picked up three RBIs while going 2-for-4, and Messier, Lusardi and Sullivan also finished with multi-hit performances in the game.