WESTON, Mass. – Fifth-seeded Lesley University fell to fourth-seed Newbury College, 4-2, in the first round of the New England Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament, Tuesday evening on the campus of Regis College. Lesley's season comes to a close with an overall record of 13-19 while Newbury improves to 19-11 on the season and will travel to New London, Conn. to battle top-seeded Mitchell College on Friday morning.

Newbury wasted little time jumping on the board first. Senior right-hander Olivia Kenyon (Canton, Mass.) lined a base-hit up the middle to drive in junior shortstop Alyssa Donovan (West Haven, Conn.) for the first run of the game. Two batters later, sophomore third baseman Lindsey Clark (Venice, Fla.) kept the inning going roping a two-out double into the right-centerfield gap to plate Kenyon as the Nighthawks took the 2-0 lead.

Kenyon had her way with the Lynx line-up the first time through the order but the second time Lesley was able to get to the senior right-hander. Junior shortstop Selena Quezada (West Covina, Calif.) opened the top of the third driving a double into left-centerfield. After Quezada advanced 60 feet on a sacrifice bunt, sophomore Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) lifted a towering fly ball to leftfield for a sacrifice-fly to knock in Quezada with the first Lynx run, cutting the deficit in half.

The Lynx were not done. Senior catcher Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) kept the inning alive for the Lynx with a two-out triple into right field before coming into score on a base-hit by first year Courtney Goggin (Cheshire, Conn.) to tie up the ballgame.

The tie score did not last for very long. After Kenyon retired the side in order in the top of the fourth, Clark opened up the home half rocketing a double to the base of the leftfield fence.  Two batters later senior first baseman Kaitlin McLaughlin (Dorchester, Mass.) blooped a double just over the head of the first baseman and into rightfield as Clark came around from second to score the go-ahead run.

The Nighthawks added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore backstop Emily Humphries (Westborough, Mass.) reached on an infield single and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error. After stealing third, Humphries came in to score the fourth Newbury run on a single up the middle by senior Julia Flamenco (Copiague, N.Y.).

Kenyon improves to 17-9 with the win, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out two. Lesley starter sophomore Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) allowed four runs – two earned – on eight hits while striking out seven.

The loss for the Lynx breaks up a streak of six straight NECC Championships.