Softball Downs St. Lawrence, 5-3, Falls To Ohio Wesleyan, 2-0

Box Scores

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Elms College softball team earned its first victory of the 2010 season with a 5-3 victory over St. Lawrence University before falling to Ohio Wesleyan University, 2-0 on Wednesday to wrap up action at the 2010 Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers.

With its split, Elms moves to 1-7 overall. St. Lawrence slips to 5-3 on the season, while Ohio Wesleyan improves to 5-1 overall.

Game One – St. Lawrence

After St. Lawrence scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, Elms answered with three runs of its own. Back-to-back singles by senior second baseman Ally Graffum (Ipswich, Mass.) and senior catcher Tiffany Williams (Berlin, Conn.) to lead off the inning set the stage for a one-out, two-run double by junior pitcher Destinee Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) to make the score 3-2. Following a groundout, Meeker stole third, allowing sophomore shortstop Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.) to drive in the game-tying run. Lipscomb stole second to move into scoring position, but a fly out ended the frame with the score knotted at 3-3.

The Blazers tacked on a run in the fourth when senior right fielder Kim Lastowski (Turners Falls, Mass.) singled, advanced to second on a groundout, and then came full circle on a double off the bat of freshman third baseman Rachel Butt (Agawam, Mass.) to give Elms a 4-3 edge. Butt raced to third with a stolen base but could not plate the run as St. Lawrence escaped the inning without further damage.

Elms added an insurance run in the top of the fifth stanza as Graffum singled, and then moved to second when Williams was hit by a pitch. Sophomore pinch-hitter Kelly Callahan (Monson, Mass.) grounded out to the left side of the infield but Graffum sprinted home in the process, lifting the advantage to two runs at 5-3.

Graffum finished 3 for 4 at the plate with two runs scored, while Lastowski and Lipscomb tallied two hits each.

Meeker settled in after the three-run first and tossed six scoreless innings, retiring the side in order three times, while striking out four batters to help propel Elms to its first victory of the season.

Game Two – Ohio Wesleyan

Ohio Wesleyan scored runs in the second and third innings to come away with a 2-0 victory in a pitcher’s duel in Wednesday’s second contest.

Blazers’ junior pitcher Ani Ramsdell (Gardner, Mass.) fanned four batters and scattered 10 hits in the losing effort, falling to 0-4 on the season.

Battling Bishops’ pitcher Amanda Barker (Granville, Ohio) surrendered just three hits and struck out four to secure her third win and preserve the seven-inning shutout.

Ohio Wesleyan’s Ashley Allen (Richwood, Ohio) was 3 for 4 with an RBI to lead the Bishops’ offensive efforts.

Elms returns to non-conference action on Thursday, March 25 with a 4:00 p.m. game at Westfield State College.