Lasers Win Opener, Split with Blue Jays

West Hartford, CT-- Lasell College softball won the opener of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader with Saint Joseph College of Connecticut, 2-1, before dropping the subsequent game, 4-1, on Saturday afternoon.   

Freshman pitcher Alison Saluti (Braintree, MA) threw a complete game, striking out two while ceding five hits and one earned run in the Lasers victory.  

Lasell’s Kirsten Mammola (North Reading, MA) and Talia DeChiara (Kingston, MA) scored the Lasers two runs in the third inning of the first game.  The Lasers would score without a base hit, turning a walk, catcher's interference, an error and a sacrifice fly from junior Ashley Laramie (Lynn, MA) into the only two runs they would need. 

Saint Joseph scored in the sixth inning when senior Jackie Peck (Montville, CT) hit a sacrifice fly to score freshman Stephanie Valerio (Wolcott, CT).

The game ended when Lasell center fielder Tricia Culver (Northampton, MA) made an outstanding running catch and doubled the potential tying run off at second base. 

Emily Hummell (Hebron, CT) pitched two complete games for the Blue Jays, giving up eight hits between the two games, and earning the win in the second. 

The Blue Jays scored their four runs in the second inning. Hummel led off with a walk, advanced to second base on a single by Peck and third on ground out. Hummel then raced home, barely beating a close play at the plate on an an infield grounder by senior Heather Tworzydlo (Dayville, CT). Sophomore catcher Ashley Ryan (Waterbury, CT) then singled home Peck to make the score 2-0 and Saint Joseph added two more runs on a Lasell error.

Lasell got their sole run of the inning from junior catcher Kelly Silvia (Oaks Bluff, MA).  Silvia singled with two outs then advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Rachelle Haas (Middleton, MA) shot a single into left field, leaving runners on first and third.  Silvia came home on a passed ball, scoring unearned.  

The visitors also had hits from Laramie and Mammola in the second game.  Mammola took the loss on the mound, yielding five hits and two earned runs, while striking out two Blue Jays. 

Lasell plays at Albertus Magnus in another GNAC doubleheader on Sunday, April 11th at noon.