SB: Lasers Break Season Win Mark; Fall in GNAC Championship
Providence, RI - After winning three games in 24 hours to get to the GNAC Championship, the Lasell Lasers Softball team ran out of steam, falling to Simmons by a final score of 7-3 in the GNAC Championship game. They beat Albertus Magnus earlier in the day by a 6-5 score to get there, and that win gave them 28 on the season, breaking the school record for wins in a season previously held by the 2007 team. The Lasers end the season 28-16-1.
Game One vs Albertus Magnus
This marked the fourth game between these two teams of the season, and just like the other three, this one was very close throughout. Albertus Magnus got out to a 2-0 lead in the first, before the Lasers cut it in half in the second on an Abigail Fortin RBI single. The Falcons would then extend their lead in the fourth with three runs. But the Lasers did not give up. The Lasers used four singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly to score three runs, with RBI singles by Katie Hopkins and Eryn Sheeley. Trailing 5-4, the Lasers then scored twice in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead. Both runs scored on a Mackenzie two RBI single. Despite the Falcons leading the seventh inning off with back-to-back singles, the Lasers were able to get out of the jam and win the game, sending them to the GNAC Championship.
The Lasers had 12 hits in the game, with Abigail Fortin, Ally Kirck, Katie Hopkins,a nd Mackenzie Still each having two. Abigail Fortin started for the Lasers in the circle, and went three innings. She allowed six hits and five runs with three of them being earned. She was relieved by Eryn Sheeley who went four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. She picked up her 15th win of the season.
Game Two vs Simmons
The Sharks would score once in each of the first two innings, taking a 2-0 lead. But the Laser would tie things up in the fifth when Grace Stephenson hit a two run homer to left field. But the Sharks responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning, going back up 3-2. Then in the sixth, the Lasers again tied things up with a two out rally started by a Brianna Gendreau single. She then scored on a Katie Hopkins RBI double. BUt once again the Sharks would respond, this time with a pair of homers in the bottom of the sixth, giving them a 7-3 lead. The Lasers would get two runners on base in the seventh, but were unable to score, giving the Sharks the championship.
The Lasers had five hits, with Grace Stephenson having two. The others came from Brianna Gendreau, Katie Hopkins, and Alyssa Bland. Similar to the earlier game, Abigail Fortin started, and then was relieved by Eryn Sheeley. Fortin went two innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs. Sheeley was handed the loss after going four innings and allowing six hits and five earned runs. She struck out five.
Brianna Gendreau, Grace Stephenson, and Eryn Sheeley were each named to the All-GNAC Tournament team.