Softball Caps Regular Season with Sweep of Southern Vermont College

Box Scores

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College senior right fielder Alison McBride (East Providence, R.I.) legged out an inside-the-park home run and pitchers Destinee Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) and Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) each limited Southern Vermont College to two hits in each game to help the Blazers sweep the Mountaineers in Sunday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) softball action at Cheryl R. Condon Field.

Elms earned a five-inning, 11-0 victory in game one and followed with an 8-0, five inning win in game two to complete the twinbill sweep. The Blazers conclude their regular season 20-12 overall, 14-2 in league action. 2011 marks the sixth campaign that Elms has reached the 20 win plateau. Southern Vermont concludes its season 0-30 overall, 0-16 in NECC play.

Elms 11, Southern Vermont 0 (5 innings)

With the score knotted at 0-0 in the bottom of the second, Elms pushed across eight runs when Meeker was hit by a pitch with two outs in the frame. Sophomore center fielder Leah Spring (South Hadley, Mass.) singled before McBride stroked a base hit to right and advanced to second on a fielding error allowing both runners to score. Junior shortstop Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.) then tagged an RBI base hit to center sending McBride home before sophomore third baseman Rachel Butt (Agawam, Mass.) ripped a triple to left. Sophomore catcher Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) was then issued a free pass before freshman first baseman Allyson Witaszek (Feeding Hills, Mass.) reached on an infield miscue scoring Butt and advancing Buckley to third. Freshman second baseman Abigail Capone (Fitchburg, Mass.) cracked an RBI single through the left side giving the Blazers a 6-0 lead before junior left fielder Marlene DiRaimo (Cranston, R.I.) smashed a three-bagger to right center field to score Witaszek and Capone and give the Blazers an 8-0 cushion.

Elms added three more to its lead in the bottom of the third when Witaszek drove in a run on a bases-loaded walk before junior second baseman Jennifer Killion (Cambridge, Mass.) delivered a two-run single to center to up the Blazers' advantage to 11-0.

Southern Vermont's Heather Kilventon (Cohoes, N.Y.) scorched a double in the top of the first and first baseman Tish Hall (Washington, D.C.) registered a base hit in the fourth inning but the Mountaineers were limited to just two hits as Meeker kept the hitters off balance all game, striking out six batters to improve to 11-6 overall.

Spring and Lipscomb finished with two hits each, while Killion and DiRaimo recorded a pair of RBI each.

Elms 8, Southern Vermont 0 (5innings)

Deadlocked at 0-0 after the first inning, Elms struck for three in the bottom of the second when Witaszek laid down a bunt single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then reached third on a groundout before coming full circle on a beautifully executed safety squeeze by Spring down the first base line. McBride then circled the bases on an inside-the-park home run to right center field, giving the Blazers a 3-0 edge.

Elms used three RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to base hits by Spring, McBride and Buckley to extend the lead to 6-0.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Hampton reached via base on balls, freshman center fielder Isaira Caraballo (Springfield, Mass.) reached on a fielding error allowing Hampton to score the seventh run. Junior right fielder Kaylyn Conroy (Pittsfield, Mass.) then blasted a run-scoring, walk-off single to give Elms its second mercy-rule victory of the day.

McBride finished the game 3 for 3 with three RBI, while Spring was 2 for 2 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI.

Hampton dealt four strikeouts in five innings in the circle en route to her ninth win of the season (9-6). For the second straight game, the Mountaineers were held to just two hits.

Southern Vermont starter Katelyn Boyd (Wilmington, Vt.) who suffered the game one loss, took the fall in game two and concludes the season 0-26.