KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Lesley University softball team opened up there 2016 season at the Rebel Spring Games today with a pair of losses. The Lynx dropped a 5-2 decision to the University of Dubuque before falling 6-1 to McDaniel College.
The Lynx will return to doubleheader action tomorrow and battle Springfield College at 9:00a before an 11:00a tilt with Washington College. Both games will be played at the Osceola County Softball Complex.
Game One: Dubuque 5, Lesley 2
Box Score
Lesley senior co-captain Selena Quezada (West Covina, Calif.) led the offense with three hits from atop the Lynx lineup while classmate Jess Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Junior Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) went 1-for-4 with a double and RBI.
The Lynx received strong pitching from junior Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) who went the distance allowing seven hits, five runs (three earned), while striking out two.
Dubuque freshman Kyle MacKenzie (Elkhorn, Wis.) matched Nisbet's efforts, throwing all seven innings while scattering ten hits, two runs (both earned), and striking out five.
The Spartans struck early pushing a run across in the top half of the first inning on a single to left by Brandy Heraty (Hainesville, Ill.).
The score would remain 1-0 in favor of Dubuque until Lesley would tie the score in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lynx sophomore Courtney Goggin (Cheshire, Conn.) beat out an infield single and would move to third on a two out single by freshman Stephanie Schofield (Redwood City, Calif.). Reynolds followed Schofield with Lesley's third single of the inning, knocking Goggin in from third as the Lynx evened the score at 1-1.
The Spartans would answer right back in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Courtney Markin (Colona, Ill.) led off the inning with a solo home run to reclaim a one run advantage before Dubuque would add two more to stake a 4-1 advantage.
Quezada and junior Carlyn Barker (Temecula, Calif.) led off Lesley's half of the inning with back-to-back singles before Golden recorded the third straight hit of the inning when she laced a run-scoring double to right-center and cut the deficit in half, 4-2. With runners on second and third with no outs, MacKenzie would settle down and get out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts and a pop out to limit the Lynx damage.
Dubuque would take advantage of a pair of Lynx fielding miscues in the seventh to add an insurance run to take the 5-2 victory.
Game Two: Lesley 1, McDaniel 6
Box Score
The Green Terror jumped ahead early with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Lynx would cut the McDaniel lead in half in the next half inning when freshman Brianna Young (Marshfield, Mass.) knocked in Reynolds with a single to right-center.
McDaniel starter Jamie Weisser (Chappaqua, N.Y.) would settle in after that and allow just one more hit before giving way to reliever Alex Herschman (Laurel, Md.) who provided two hitless innings of relief.
After adding one run in the bottom of the third, the Green Terror would strike for three more in the bottom of the fifth to extend their edge to 6-1. Senior Taylor Fletcher (Linden, Va.) provided the offense for McDaniel in the fifth, blasting a three-run home run to centerfield.
Sophomore Kaera Wyse (Reading, Mass.) went the distance in her first start in Green and Gray, striking out four while allowing seven hits, and six runs (five earned).