BEVERLY, Mass. – Lesley University rallied to score nine runs in the final two innings to take a 14-12 victory in game two to salvage a split with Endicott College today in a non-conference doubleheader this afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls earned a 5-0 victory in the day's opening game.
The Lynx are now 5-12 on the season while the Gulls move to 13-12 in 2015. The win marks the first time Lesley has defeated Endicott in program history as the schools have now met four times since 2011.
Endicott's Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) kept the Lynx offense at bay in game one as the junior hurled a complete game shutout yielding just four hits and striking out three. The win improved Blake to 11-2 overall in circle for the Gulls.
The Gulls broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning as they pushed three runs across the plate. Juniors Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) and Emily Hoffman (Malden, Mass.) led off the inning with consecutive singles before sophomore Hannah Graney (Acton, Mass.) reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a Lynx error on the play that scored both DiBella and Hoffman. The hosts added a third run in the inning on an RBI single by sophomore Chrissy Gikas (Danvers, Mass.) to give Endicott a 3-0 lead.
Freshman Margaret Martzolf (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth when she homered to deep left field to cap the scoring.
Lynx sophomore Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) suffered the loss for the visitors as she went the distance, allowing five runs while striking out four.
Lesley's Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) paced the offense for the Lynx as she finished 1-for-3 with a double.
The Lynx trailed 9-5 in game two before exploding for nine runs on 12 hits combined in the final two innings to comeback for the win. Freshman Courtney Goggin (Cheshire, Conn.) sparked the attack as she smacked her second home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning. Jillian Sbardella (Dartmouth, Mass.), Nisbet, and Kelsy Lynch (Rumford, R.I.) followed Goggin with three straight singles before Selena Quezada (West Covina, Calif.) drove in Sbardella with a single to centerfield. Sophomore Carlyn Barker (Temecula, Calif.) capped the scoring for the Lynx with a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 9-9.
Goggin was in the middle of the Lesley offensive barrage in the seventh as she led off with a single before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Sbardella. The rookie then came around on Nisbet's third hit of the game to give the Lynx a one run lead. Nisbet moved to third on a single by Lynch before scoring on another single by freshman Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.). Two batters later, Golden knocked in a pair with a single before senior Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) knocked an RBI double in the left-center gap as Lesley grabbed a 14-9 lead.
The Gulls would not go down easy, however, as the hosts loaded the bases with one out before sophomore Ilyza Holman (Ashland, Mass.) launched a bases-clearing triple to right-centerfield to cut the deficit to two runs. Freshman Casey Beauchemin (Lincoln, R.I.) followed Holman with an infield single, but Sbardella stranded the tying run on first base as she got out of the jam with a strikeout and a line out to earn the win.
Nisbet powered the offense for the Lynx with a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the dish with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. Goggin, Sbardella, and Lynch all recorded three hits for the visitors while Quezada and Barker each knocked two. The 14 runs and 20 hits were both season-highs for Lesley.
Sbardella improved to 2-3 on the year as she earned the win with six innings of relief, allowing five runs while striking out two and walking just one.
The Lynx will return to New England Collegiate Conference play tomorrow as they host Newbury College for a twin-billing at 3:30p. The Gulls are back in action on Sunday when they welcome the University of New England for a doubleheader starting at noon.