Softball Sweeps Past Daniel Webster College, 9-1, 9-2

Box Scores

NASHUA, N.H.  – Elms College senior pitcher Destinee Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) tossed a combined 11.0 innings including a complete-game effort in game one and recorded a total of six strikeouts to help lift the Blazers to a doubleheader sweep of Daniel Webster College in Sunday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball action at Eagle Field in Nashua, N.H.

Elms, winners in seven of their last eight games, won the first game 9-1 and followed with a 9-2 victory in game two to improve to 12-9 overall, 6-0 in league play. Daniel Webster moves to 1-9 on the season, 1-3 in NECC action.

Elms 9, Daniel Webster 1

After playing to scoreless tie through the first two innings of game one, the Blazers emphatically broke the deadlock by scoring seven runs in the top of the third. Junior left fielder Marlene DiRaimo (Cranston, R.I.) led off the frame with a walk and moved to second when Meeker drew a one-out free pass setting up senior right fielder Alison McBride (East Providence, R.I.) who connected for a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Junior shortstop Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.) then drilled a two-run single, advanced to second on the throw and then scored on a two-base miscue by the pitcher to give Elms a 3-0 cushion. Sophomore third baseman Rachel Butt (Agawam, Mass.) and sophomore catcher Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) notched back-to-back singles, advanced 60 feet each on a wild pitch and then both scored when freshman designated player Hayley Zisk (Baldwinville, Mass.) reached on an infield error extending the lead to 5-0. Elms scored twice more on a pair of passed balls to give the Blazers a 7-0 advantage.

Elms added a run in the top of the fourth when Zisk delivered a bases-loaded infield fly to the second baseman plating Lipscomb who singled earlier in the frame.

Daniel Webster scored in the bottom of the fifth when Theresa Clementina DiSantis (Hinsdale, Mass.) belted a leadoff double and then scored on an infield single by Courtney Brennan (Beverly, Mass.) to cut Elms' lead to 8-1.

After the teams played a scoreless sixth inning, sophomore second baseman Alexandra Bonavita (Agawam, Mass.) drove in freshman first baseman Allyson Witaszek (Feeding Hills, Mass.) with the squad's ninth run of the contest.

Butt went 3 for 4 in the game, while McBride, Lipscomb and Witaszek collected two hits each.

Meeker scattered four hits (two by DiSantis) and struck out four batters to improve to 6-4 in the circle.

Amanda Wilson (Merrimack, N.H.) took the loss for the Eagles, tossing three strikeouts in 7.0 innings in the circle.

Elms 9, Daniel Webster 2

In game two, Elms used a four-run second frame and a run in the third to post an early 5-0 lead. Freshman designated player Isaira Caraballo (Springfield, Mass.) scored on a bases loaded wild pitch, McBride cracked a two-run single, and junior starting pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) helped her own cause with a an RBI base hit to highlight the four-run second.  

Daniel cut its five-run deficit to three in the bottom of the third when pitcher Lauren Chesnulevich (Hudson, N.H.) tripled in Amanda Varricchio (Middletown, Conn.) and then came full circle on an RBI base hit by DiSantis to set the score at 5-2.

Elms extended its lead back to five runs in the top of the fourth when Witaszek delivered an RBI groundout and Buckley scored on a wild pitch to give the Blazers a 7-2 edge.

A run in the sixth and another in the seventh capped the second nine-run game of the day for Elms which remains perfect in league action.

McBride and DiRaimo collected two hits apiece, while McBride registered two RBI in the winning effort.

Meeker, who entered in the fourth inning for Hampton, tossed two strikeouts over the final four frames and earned her second win of the day to improve to 7-4 on the season.  Hampton finished with three punch-outs in three innings of work.

Chesnulevich suffered the complete-game loss for Daniel Webster falling to 0-4 on the season.

Elms returns to non-conference action on Thursday, April 14 with a 5:00 p.m. game at Regis College in Weston, Mass.