Softball Falls to Lesley University, 9-4

BOSTON, Mass. – Elms College freshman left fielder Taylor Skinner (South Windsor, Conn.) was 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI, but Lesley University used a five-run third inning and three hits each from Emily Mangiaratti (Amherst, Mass.) and Nicole Mercurio (Wakefield, Mass.) to help lift the top-seeded Lynx to a 9-4 win over the fourth-seeded Blazers in Friday morning's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship tournament softball game.

With the loss, Elms moves to 11-20 on the season, while Lesley improves to 22-17 overall. The Blazers will play the loser of the No. 2 Becker College and No. 3 Newbury College game at 2:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Lesley will play the winner of the Hawks/Nighthawks' contest at 4:00 p.m.

After posting a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, Lesley pulled away in the bottom of the third scoring five runs to give the Lynx a 7-0 lead. The five-run frame featured a two-run double by Mercurio and RBI singles from Maria Nazzaro (North Reading, Mass.) and Mangiaratti.

Elms answered with a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI base hit by junior right fielder Kellie McLaughlin (Pittsfield, Mass.) and in the top of the fifth stanza, Elms crossed the plate twice when senior catcher Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) reached on a two-out, two-base error and then scored on an RBI single by Taylor Skinner. Sophomore shortstop Gina DiGiovanni (Sprinfield, Mass.) then reached on a miscue allowing Buckley to score to the set the game at 7-3 in favor of the Lynx.

In the top of the sixth, junior first baseman Ally Witaszek (Feeding Hills, Mass.) reached on an error and then scored on a base hit down the left field line by senior second baseman Alexandra Bonavita (Agawam, Mass.) to pull the Blazers to within three at 7-4.

Lesley answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on the strength of a run-scoring fielder's choice by Jodee Doka (Sacramento, Calif.) and an RBI base hit off the bat of Sydney Thayer (Reading, Mass.) to set the final score at 9-4.

Elms' sophomore pitcher Jessica Colson (Agawam, Mass.) (4-10) struck out four in her six innings of work, while Jordan Thomas (Fitchburg, Mass.) earned the win (8-7) and fanned one batter.