CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Becker College spoiled Lesley University's home finale as the Hawks used scores of 4-2 and 9-7 to sweep a New England Collegiate Conference doubleheader over the Lynx this afternoon at Buckingham Field. The pair of losses drops the Lynx to 13-18 overall and 10-8 in the NECC while the Hawks improve to 17-12 in the regular season and 13-5 in the conference.
Both teams have earned spots in the NECC Tournament that will kick off on Tuesday. The Hawks have earned the No. 3 seed and will play host to No. 6 Southern Vermont College while the Lynx will play as the No. 5 seed and travel to No. 4 Newbury College in a single-elimination quarterfinal match.
Game one: Becker 4, Lesley 2
The Hawks wasted little time in getting their offense in gear as they plated three runs in the top of the first inning. After Jaclyn Orangio (Maynard, Mass.) reached base on a Lynx error to leadoff the game, junior Jessica Wheelahan (Watertown, Conn.) followed with an RBI triple to right to open the scoring. Senior Jessica Brochu (Hardwick, Vt.) would follow one batter later with a home run to deep left field to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead.
That would be all the offense starter Kelsey Norberg (Uxbridge, Mass.) would need as she went the distance for the Hawks, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five and walking two to earn her tenth win of the season.
Lesley junior Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) suffered the loss for the Lynx in a complete game effort, yielding just four hits, four runs (two earned), while striking out six.
After the Lynx cut the Hawks lead to just one in the bottom of the third when sophomore Carlyn Barker (Temecula, Calif.) blasted a two-run home run to left field, Becker would answer with a run of their own in the top of the fourth inning to push the lead back to the winning score of 4-2.
Barker also added a single as she finished 2-for-3 while classmate Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) went 2-for-4 with a double. Freshman Kelsy Lynch (Rumford, R.I.) also recorded a hit for the hosts.
Brochu paced the Hawks with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate while Wheelahan and Brianna Herforth (Peru, Mass.) each finished with hits.
Game two: Becker 9, Lesley 7
Becker jumped ahead early once again as they scored three runs in the top of the second before adding one more in the top of the third to take a 4-0 lead.
Lesley would cut that lead in half in the bottom of the third. Freshman Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) would lead off the inning with a bunt single and Golden and Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) would later follow with back-to-back RBI doubles to pull within two runs.
The Hawks would add single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to extend their lead to 6-2, but the Lynx would not go down quietly. Lesley would load the bases on three straight singles in the bottom of the sixth inning before plating a pair on a Becker miscue in the outfield. Nisbet would drive in the third run of the inning with a sacrifice-fly to center as the Lynx pull to within one, 6-5.
Once again, the Hawks would have an answer as Herforth drove a two-run double to left field in the top of the seventh before Ashley Ciepiela (Adams, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to center as Becker plated three crucial runs in the inning to take a 9-7 lead.
Lesley would continue to rally in the bottom of the seventh as Fountain drove a two-run shot over the fence in left, but that would be all the Lynx could muster as Becker held on for the 9-7 win. The home run was Fountain's second of the season and occurred in her final at bat at Buckingham Field.