BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Lesley University softball took both ends of Wednesday afternoon's twin-billing against Newbury College, 12-6 and 13-4, in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action. Senior backstop Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) went 7-for-10 on the afternoon with a double, four RBIs and four runs scored as the Lynx jump out to a 2-0 record in conference play.
Game 1: Lesley 12, Newbury 6
Lesley wasted little time and gave first year right-hander Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) an early lead to work with, scoring three times on two hits in the top of the first. But Newbury junior right-hander Olivia Kenyon (Canton, Mass.) settled down and retired the side in order over the next two innings allowing the Nighthawks to get on the scoreboard in the home half of the third due to some timely, two-out hitting.
First year first baseman Emily Humphries (Westborough, Mass.) led off inning with a base-hit before advancing into scoring position on a ground ball back to the circle. Sophomore catcher Alyssa Donovan (West Haven, Conn.) kept the inning alive, lacing a single into right-field to plate Humphries then scampered 60 feet into scoring position on the throw. After sophomore centerfielder Sheri Liggiero (Tewksbury, Mass.) singled, Kenyon helped her own cause with a single of her own to score Donovan to cut the Lynx deficit to one, 3-2.
Moments later, the Nighthawks kept the pressure on the defense. Liggiero successfully swiped her fifth bag of the season with a steal of third then came into tie-up the ballgame on Fountain's over-throw. First year left fielder Naomi Ricciotti (Phoenix, Ariz.) gave the Nighthawks their first lead of the game, ripping a single to bring Kenyon around from second to take a 4-3 lead.
Lesley answered an inning later when senior Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.) singled in Jodee Doka (Sacramento, Calif.). The Lynx tacked on their second run of the inning by taking advantage of a Nighthawk error midway through the frame and re-gained the 5-4 lead.
However, the lead did not last for very long as the Nighthawks rallied in a two-run bottom of the fifth. After Donovan worked a one-out walk, Liggiero beat out an infield single to third as Donovan advanced to third on a throwing error by the third baseman. With runners at the corners and only one out, Kenyon helped her own cause once again, lofting a high-towering fly ball to straightaway centerfield to score Donovan and knot up the game at five. Ricciotti came through in the clutch once again, driving in Liggiero with a single for her second RBI of the game to give the Nighthawks the 6-5 advantage.
The Lynx responded in the top of the sixth with two on and one out when freshman Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) laced a single to bring in Fountain as the visitors tied up contest for the fourth time, sending the game into extra innings.
After Kenyon retired the side in order in the top of the eighth inning, stranding senior shortstop Sarah Apgar(Andover, N.J.) – who was placed on second due to the international tie-break rule – at second, the Nighthawks had their best chance to take the game in the home half of the frame. The Nighthawks had runners at the corners with no outs after senior second baseman Katie Haney (Winchendon, Mass.) singled to send Ricciotti to third. Two batters later, Humphries hit a ground between the shortstop and third baseman to reach but Ricciotti was caught standing too far off third for the second out of the inning.
Momentum shifted with Apgar's heads up play as Lesley answered in the top of the ninth. Sophomore Jess Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) broke the tie with an RBI single. The Lynx added five more runs in the inning to take a 12-6 win in game one.
The Lynx tallied 17 hits in the game, paced by three from Fountain at the top of the order. Carlyn Barker (Marietta, Calif.), Angela Mukai (Amherst, N.H.), Nicole Mercurio (Wakefield, Mass. ), Doka, and Apgar all recorded two hits in the win.
Game 2: Lesley 13, Newbury 4
The Lynx offense remained hot at the start of game two as they batted around to put up a crooked number seven in the top of the first take a commanding 7-0 lead. Golden put the Lynx on the board when she singled home Fountain. Two batters later, Doka drove in the second run of the game with an RBI single of her own. Apgar would draw a bases-loaded walk before senior Maria Nazzaro (North Reading, Mass.) and Fountain each drove in a pair as the Lynx put immediate pressure on the hosts.
The Nighthawks wasted little time in cutting into the Lynx lead and answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Following a single by Liggiero sandwiched between two walks to load the bases with zero outs in the bottom of the frame, Ricciotti continued her hot hitting lacing a two-RBI single to bring home Donovan and Liggiero. Two batters later, Kenyon came in to score the third Newbury run on a pop-out off the bat of Haney for the second out to cut the Lynx lead to 7-3.
After giving up seven runs in the first, first year right-hander Alexa Mummery (Rochester, N.Y.) settled down and only allowed one run over the next two innings, but the Lynx scored twice in the top of the fourth and three more times to take the game 13-4.
Fountain continued with her hot bat, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI while Doka added three hits of her own to go with two runs and an RBI. Four other players finished with two hits for the Lynx, who belted 17 as a team for the second straight game.
Newbury drops to 0-2 to start conference play and 4-11 overall while Lesley improves to 3-11 and 2-0 in NECC action. The Nighthawks will return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon when they host Regis College for two at 3:30 p.m. The Lynx will be back in action this weekend, Saturday April 5th, when they host NECC opponent Bay Path College at 1:00 p.m.