Blue Jays Rally to Defeat Softball 5-3

NEWTON, Mass. (4/17/15) – The Lasell College softball team dropped a 5-3 decision to the University of Saint Joseph's (Conn.) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup Friday evening at Taylor Field. The loss drops the Lasers to 8-24 overall and 5-15 in the GNAC, while the Blue Jays improve to 15-13 this spring and 11-7 in conference play.

Junior Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) smacked her fifth homerun of the year, knocking in two RBI's on a 2-for-4 performance. Freshman Laura MacLeod (Old Saybrook, Conn.) went 1-for-3 on the day with her fourth double of the season, while junior Erin Larghi (Wakefield, R.I.), freshman Ashley Gatchell (Franklin, Mass.) and senior Michaelea Grady (Worcester, Mass.) each contributed with a base hit for the Lasers.

Junior Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) propelled the Blue Jays to the victory, going 2-for-4 with a homerun, a double, and three runs batted in. Junior Mary Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) chipped in with two hits and an RBI, while senior Colleen Ecsedy (Ashford, Conn.) drove in a single run for the visitors.

The Lasers were first to get on the board in the bottom of the third inning. After reaching first on an error by the Saint Joseph's second baseman, sophomore Erin Smith (Gorham, Maine) worked her way to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch. Despite the pressure of two outs, LeBlanc took the plate and cranked a long shot to left field, driving in Smith for the 2-0 Laser lead.

Patti Sciglimpaglia was quick to respond from the Blue Jays, roping a goner to left field to plate senior Sarah Miller (Southington, Conn.) for the 2-2 equalizer. The visitors weren't done scoring in the inning, as Ecsedy took the plate with the bases juiced and popped out a sacrifice fly to give the Blue Jays the go-ahead 3-2 advantage.

MacLeod led off inning four with a double to left center, bumping sophomore Emily Noll (Weymouth, Mass.) to third. A single up the middle by Gatchell clinched the 3-3 for the time being, as Noll was sent flying home.

Patti Sciglimpaglia roped a double to the center field fence (ground-rule) which plated junior Haley McCall (Lebanon, Conn.) in the next inning. Patti Sciglimpaglia crossed home plate for the 5-3 victory run, as Mary Sciglimpaglia sent her home on a deep single to left.

Junior pitcher Eileen Bergin (Arlington, Mass.) took the loss on the hill for the Lasers, allowing eight hits and five earned runs in the full game. Freshman Shelby Tallman (Colchester, Conn.) earned the victory for the visitors, pitching 2.0 innings with three strikeouts and two hits. Patti Sciglimpaglia pitched 1.0 to close the game and uphold the lead, allowing a single hit and fanning one batter.

The Lasers close out their regular season on Saturday, April 18 when they head to Boston, Mass. for a conference doubleheader with Emmanuel College at 12:00 p.m. The Blue Jays head to Norwich University for a GNAC twin bill starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, before hosting their regular season finale on Sunday, April 19 vs. Mount Ida College.