SB: Lasell drops two GNAC games to Norwich

NEWTON, Mass. – Norwich University used a pair of seventh inning rallies to sweep a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader from Lasell College Thursday afternoon at Taylor Field, winning the first game 5-1 before taking the nightcap in eight innings, 5-3.

The Cadets scored four runs in the seventh inning of the opener to break open a 1-1 game. Lasell took a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning of the nightcap, but Norwich rallied with two in the seventh to tie the game, and tacked on three in the eighth to pull out the win.

With the wins, Norwich improves to 10-12 overall and 4-6 in the GNAC, while Lasell drops to 5-23 overall and 2-8 in conference play.

Lasell is right back in action on Friday, April 19, hosting the University of Maine Farmington in a non-conference doubleheader at Taylor Field, beginning at 3 p.m. Norwich is slated to host Regis College on Saturday, Apr. 20, in a GNAC twin bill at 1 p.m.

Game 1 – Norwich 5, Lasell 1

After three scoreless innings, each team plated one run in the fourth. Senior Naomi Rinaldo (Middlefield, Conn.) blasted a home run to left center to put Norwich on the board, and Lasell answered with a single by junior Victoria Spellman (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and an RBI double by classmate Arianna Genovese (Rocky Hill, Conn.).

Norwich broke the game opener with a big rally in the seventh. Senior Emily Oliver (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) drove in a run with an infield single, freshman Dara Kelly (Chesterfield, N.J.) brought home a run with a sacrifice fly, another run scored on a Lasell throwing error, and Rinaldo capped the rally with an RBI single through the left side.

Oliver pitched four effecting innings for Norwich, allowing just one run on two hits, striking out three. Sophomore Brittany Vandergroef (Lodi, N.J.) earned the win (3-3) in relief, pitching three scoreless innings and giving up just three hits. Sophomore Hailey Haskins (Franklin, N.H.) allowed just one run on seven hits in the first six innings for Lasell, but was tagged with the loss in the complete-game effort.

Rinaldo and junior Katie Reid (Gold Canyon, Ariz.) had three hits each for Norwich, with Reid cracking a double and a triple, and junior Kaylee Blanchard (Worcester, Mass.) had two hits. Genovese led the Lasers with a double and an RBI.

Game 1 – Norwich 5, Lasell 3 (8 innings)

Lasell scored single runs in the first and third innings to take an early lead. Sophomore Alexis Truesdale (Wakefield, Mass.) led off the first with a walk, went to third on a single by Sarah Kline (Vernon, Conn.) and scored on an infield groundout. Freshman Lisa Pare (Ellington, Conn.) led off the third with a single, advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Spellman.

Sophomore Hannah Doherty (Hampton, N.H.) retired the first nine Norwich batters she faced and took a four-hit shutout into the seventh inning, but the Cadets rallied with two runs to tie the game. Sophomore Elizabeth Nevin (Londonderry, N.H.) singled with one out, and Blanchard roped a double down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position. Junior Makenna Wade (Saint Johns, Fla.) had a big hit with a two-run single down the right field line.

Norwich scored three times in the eighth inning with the help of two Lasell errors. Two runs came home on an infield grounder, and Niven capped the rally with an RBI single to right. Lasell scored once in the bottom half of the inning on a wild pitch, but the Cadets held on for the win.

Niven had three hits in the game for Norwich and sophomore Madelyn Folcik (Wilmot, N.H.) had two hits. Freshman Brianna Gendreau (Warren, R.I.) had two of Lasell's six hits in the game.

Oliver earned the win (7-6) in relief for the Cadets, pitching six innings and allowing just one unearned run on three hits, striking out five. Doherty took the loss, giving up two runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings, fanning two.

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