Softball Falls to Lesley University 8-7 (8 innings), and 9-1

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College softball team fell to Lesley University, 8-7 in eight innings and 9-1 during Saturday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) double header action at Cheryl R. Condo Field in Chicopee, Mass.

With the loss, Elms moves to 9-13 overall, 7-7 in league play, while Lesley improves to 14-12 on the season, 13-0 in conference action.

Game One: Lesley 8, Elms 7 (8 innings)

In game one, Elms plated a run in the bottom of the first and then scored four in the bottom of the third to take a 5-0 lead.

Senior first baseman Ally Witaszek (Feeding Hills, Mass.) singled to load the bases before junior pitcher Beth Grimes (Terryville, Conn.) ripped an RBI single to right field. Senior second baseman Abby Capone (Fitchburg, Mass.) followed with a two-run base hit to center before a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of senior right fielder Kellie McLaughlin (Pittsfield, Mass.) gave the Blazers a five-run advantage.

Lesley responded with four runs in the top of the fourth when Jodee Doka (Sacramento, Calif.) reached on an RBI fielder's choice, followed by an RBI groundout by Angela Mukai (Amherst, N.H.) to make it 5-2. Back-to-back run-scoring singles by Jess Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) and Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.) pulled the Lynx to within one at 5-4.

In the top of the fifth frame Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) led off with  a single through the left side and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before Mekenzi  Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) launched a two-run homer to left field to give Lesley a 6-5 edge.

Elms regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth frame when Witaszek and Grimes struck for back-to-back RBI infield singles to set the score at 7-6 in favor of the Blazers.

The Lynx responded with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh when Mercurio singled to left, advancing Carlyn Barker (Marietta, Calif.) to second before Doka singled Barker in with the tying run. Mercurio was thrown out at home as McLaughlin, Witaszek and sophomore catcher Kierstan Skinner (South Windsor, Conn.) executed a perfect relay to keep the game knotted at 7-7.

After Lesley's relief pitcher Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.), who pitched the final 4.2 innings, retired Elms in order in the bottom of the seventh on three groundouts, Reynolds delivered an RBI groundout in the top of the eighth to give the Lynx an 8-7 advantage.

With one out in the home half of the eighth stanza, senior third baseman Caitlee Carrier (Charlestown, Mass.) sacrificed Kierstan Skinner from second to third but Nisbet forced a fly out to end the game.

Apgar, Golden and Fountain each had two hits in the win for the Lynx, while Golden, Doka, and Reynolds drove in two runs each.

Witaszek, Grimes and Capone had two hits apiece for the Blazers, while Grimes and Capone notched two RBI each.

Nisbet earned the win to improve to 5-4, while Grimes (4-5) suffered the loss with four strikeouts.

Game Two: Lesley 9, Elms 1

In game two, Lesley out-hit Elms, 16-4 thanks to a 3 for 3 effort from Doka who drove in three and scored a run. Fountain, Barker, Golden, Mukai and Reynolds each collected two hits, while Fountain chipped in a pair of RBI in the second contest.

The Lynx plated two in the first, three in the third, one in the fourth and three in the seventh to stake a 9-0 lead. Elms plated a run in the bottom of the seventh when Witaszek scored on a Lesley miscue.

Nisbet pitched all seven innings in game two to earn the win and move to 6-4. Elms' junior pitcher Jessica Colson (Agawam, Mass.) tossed five innings and suffered the loss to move to 4-7 in the circle. Freshman Tessa Cote (Granby, Mass.) pitched two innings of relief in the no-decision.  

Elms returns to NECC action on Tuesday, April 22 when it hosts Southern Vermont College at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at Cheryl R. Condon Field.