Lesley University Outlasts Softball, 1-0 and 3-0

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Elms College senior hurler Destinee Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) scattered seven hits and allowed just one run, while junior pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) allowed three runs on five hits and struck out five but Lesley University pitchers Cassandra Knox (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) and Jennifer Dorval (Franklin, N.H.) each collected their 10^th win to help lift the Lynx to a sweep of the Blazers in Tuesday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball game at Buckingham Field.

Elms lost the first game 1-0 and then fell 3-0 in the nightcap to fall to 14-12 on the season, 8-2 in NECC play. Lesley improves to 21-6 overall, 12-0 in league action.

Lesley 1, Elms 0

Following six scoreless innings that saw just one runner for either team get to third base, Lesley found the scoring touch when Alyson Durben (Stow, Mass.) smashed a leadoff single and then scored the game-winning run when Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.) delivered an RBI double to left field to lift the Lynx to a walk-off win.

Meeker (8-6) and Knox (10-4) found themselves in a pitching duel throughout the entire game as Meeker fanned two batters and allowed seven hits, while Knox struck out five batters and surrendered just four hits in the shutout victory.

Apgar finished with two hits and the game-winning RBI for Lesley as she singled to lead off the bottom of the third frame and moved ahead 90 feet but was stranded on third.

Lesley 3, Elms 0

In game two, Dorval kept Elms' at bay through seven scoreless innings as she dealt nine strikeouts and allowed just three runners to reach second base en route to the win and a 10-2 record in the circle.

Lesley put its first run on the board in the bottom of the fourth frame when Gabrielle Brixley (Coalinga, Calif.) singled to the left side to start the stanza and advanced to second on a Blazers' miscue. A sacrifice bunt moved her to third before a safety squeeze by Durben allowed her to score the first run of the contest.

After both sides were retired in order in the fifth, the Lynx added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth when Molly Sarson (Sanford, Maine) was hit by a pitch and Brixley doubled to start the inning. Durben then hammered a two-out, two-run single to extend their advantage to 3-0.

Elms' sophomore third baseman Rachel Butt (Agawam, Mass.) laced a base hit to start the top of the seventh and then stole second but could get no closer as the Blazers fell in order allowing Lesley to complete the sweep.

Brixley and Emily Mangiaratti (Amherst, Mass.) had two hits apiece, while Durben drove in all three runs.

Hampton struck out five batters in the complete-game loss and falls to 6-6 on the season.

Elms returns to NECC action on Wednesday, April 27 when it travels to Boston, Mass. to take on Wheelock College. Game times are set for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.