Softball Takes Down Southern Vermont College With Doubleheader Sweep

Box Scores

BENNINGTON, Vt. – Elms College freshman designated player Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) went a combined 5 for 7 with a triple, five runs scored and five runs driven in to help propel the Blazers to a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball doubleheader sweep of Southern Vermont College on Sunday afternoon at Willow Park Field in Bennington, Vt.

With the sweep, Elms wins its fifth and sixth straight contests to improve to 8-11 on the season, 6-0 in league play. Southern Vermont falls to 1-14 overall, 0-6 in NECC action.

Game One – Elms 10, Southern Vermont 1 (5 innings)

In game one, Elms took a 2-1 lead into the top of the fourth inning before exploding for five runs to post a 7-1 lead. Buckley drove in sophomore shortstop Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.) and sophomore first baseman Alicia Campbell (Stockbridge, Mass.) when she tripled to right field. She raced the final 60 feet on an RBI single by senior second baseman Ally Graffum (Ipswich, Mass.) who would later score on a base hit by sophomore third baseman Kelly Callahan (Monson, Mass.). Sophomore right fielder Kaylyn Conroy (Pittsfield, Mass.) drove in the final run of the frame when she reached on a fielding error in the infield to give the Blazers a six-run lead.

Elms added to its lead in the top of the fifth frame when Lipscomb knocked in senior catcher Kim Lastowski (Turners Falls, Mass.) with a sacrifice fly, before Buckley and junior center fielder Alison McBride (East Providence, R.I.) added run-scoring singles to extend the lead to 10-1.

Blazers’ sophomore pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) kept Southern Vermont off the board in the bottom of the fifth to preserve the five-inning mercy rule victory.

Hampton finished with seven strikeouts to pick up her fifth win of the season (5-4). Southern Vermont starter Talan Barron (Methuen, Mass.) suffered the loss and falls to 0-6 overall.

Callahan went 3 for 4 at the dish with two RBI, while Graffum and McBride added two hits each.

Barron helped her cause on offense with a 2 for 3 day at the plate with a run scored in the loss for the Mountaineers.

Game Two – Elms 10, Southern Vermont 2 (5 innings)

The nightcap saw Elms post an 8-0 lead after the first two and half innings, highlighted by a five-run first frame. Lastowski, Lipscomb and Buckley registered back-to-back-to-back singles, with Buckley plating Lastowski on her base hit. Graffum walked to load the bases before Lipscomb scored on a wild pitch to give Elms a 2-0 lead. Buckley and Graffum each scored on errant throws before Callahan singled in the fifth run of the inning to give the Blazers a 5-0 cushion.

In the top of the second, McBride drove in Buckley who reached on a one-out walk to lift Elms’ lead to 6-0.

An inning later, the Blazers plated two more runs thanks to a Southern Vermont miscue that allowed sophomore left fielder Marlene DiRaimo (Cranston, R.I.) to score, and an RBI base hit from Buckley.

The Mountaineers plated two in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to six runs (8-2), but Elms got the two scores back in the top of the fourth.

Blazers’ junior pitcher Destinee Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) improved to 2-0 on the season following a stellar performance in the circle. She fanned two batters and limited the Mountaineers to six hits, guiding Elms to its second five-inning mercy rule victory of the day.

Southern Vermont starter Gabrielle Remillard (Fairfax, Vt.) suffered the complete-game loss and falls to 1-8 on the season.

Lastowski, Buckley and McBride each contributed two hits in the win, while Buckley and McBride scored two runs apiece. Buckley also drove in two runs in the win.

Elms returns to non-conference action on Wednesday, April 14 when it travels to take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). First-pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.