Softball Advances Past Daniel Webster College, 2-1

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College senior center fielder Leah Spring (South Hadley, Mass.) was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and scored a run to help lift the fourth-seeded Blazers to a 2-1 victory over No. 5 Daniel Webster College in Tuesday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship Tournament First Round softball game at Cheryl R. Condon Field.

With the win, Elms (11-19) advances to the semifinal stage of the NECC Championship tournament and will face No. 1 Lesley University at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 3 on the campus of UMass-Boston. Daniel Webster concludes its season with a 13-22 overall record.

After two and a half scoreless innings, Elms crossed the dish first scoring twice in the bottom of the third frame. Junior first baseman Ally Witaszek (Feeding Hills, Mass.) cracked a one-out single to center field and then stole second before Spring doubled her in with a rip to left center field. A base hit to right field by senior second baseman Alexandra Bonavita (Agawam, Mass.) allowed Spring to race home with the second run to give the Blazers a 2-0 lead.

Daniel Webster got a run back in the top of the fourth when Heather Strong (Palmer, Mass.) laced a two-out single to right center field and then came full circle on an RBI base hit to right field by Theresa DiSantis (Hinsdale, Mass.) to cut Elms' lead to 2-1.

In the top of the sixth, the Eagles put the tying run on third when Mollie Bartles (Torrington, Conn.) singled up the middle with one out and then advanced to third on a base hit by Chelsey Crawford (Westfield, Mass.). However, Strong hit into a double-play popup as Blazers' sophomore shortstop Gina DiGiovanni (Springfield, Mass.) caught the hit and stepped on second to double-up the runner and keep the one-run lead.

After Sara Pelkey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.) retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, Daniel Webster loaded the bases with two outs when Sarah Durocher (Keene, N.H.) singled, Danielle Melanson (Derry, N.H.) drew a pinch-hit walk, and Abigail Goslin (Wrentham, Mass.) struck out and reached on a wild pitch. Elms' sophomore hurler Jessica Colson (Agawam, Mass.) then forced a game-ending groundout to seal the win for the Blazers.

Colson was superb in the circle, tossing a complete-game to improve to 4-9 overall. She fanned 11 batters and held the Eagles scoreless in six of seven innings and allowed just the one run on six hits.

Pelkey (7-8) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out one and suffered the loss in 6.0 innings of work in the circle.

Bartles was 2 for 3 at the plate for the Eagles, while Spring and Bonavita each had a hit and an RBI for Elms. Witaszek, senior catcher Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) and junior left fielder Kellie McLaughlin (Pittsfield, Mass.) each added a hit in the win.