KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Junior second baseman Courtney Goggin launched her first collegiate career grand slam against The College of New Jersey in the Lynx's second game of 2017 season, Sunday afternoon.
Game 1: Illinois Wesleyan 6, Lesley 1
In the first game of the day, Illinois-Wesleyan set the tone early pushing across three runs in the first two innings against Lesley starter senior Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.). The Lynx managed to cut the deficit to two runs pushing across a run in the home half of the third.
Sophomore Abby Henderson (Rochester, N.H.) worked a one-out walk then swiped second before coming into score on a single by first year Ally Murphy (Raynham, Mass.). However it was all they were going to get as Titan starter Mackenzie Marquis kept the Lynx bats at bay, allowing just one run while scattering four hits and striking out seven batters.
Despite a rough first two innings, Nisbet settled down and kept the Lynx in the ballgame. Over the next three innings, she retired five straight batters before allowing the Titans' Stephanie Prentice to reach on an error in the fourth. Nisbet ran into trouble in the latter innings as Illinois-Wesleyan added to their two-run lead scoring once in the six and twice in the seventh to take a 7-1 lead.
Game 2: The College of New Jersey 9, Lesley 4
The bats woke up in the second game of the day as the Lynx jumped on the scoreboard first with a four-run top of the second. First year right-hander Sarah Bushman (Aurora, Colo.) helped her own cause leading off the second inning with double. After senior third baseman Carlyn Barker (Temecula, Calif.) walked and Nisbet got hit by the pitch to load the bases, Goggin roped a Sara Blelamowicz offering over the fence. When it came down the Lynx had a 4-0 lead.
However, the lead did not last for very long. The Lions grabbed one run back in the bottom of the second inning before batting around in the bottom of the fourth to put up a crooked number six to take a 7-4 lead.
Lesley could do very little against TCNJ's Kristen Barrera, who came on in relief of Blelamowicz in the top of the fourth. In four innings Barrera kept the Lynx guessing, allowing just four hits while striking out one to earn her first win of the year.
Bushman took the loss allowing seven runs on 11 hits in four innings before turning the ball over to junior right-hander Kaera Wyse (Reading, Mass.). Wyse pitched the final two innings for the Lynx where she gave up two runs on two hits.
The Lynx return to the diamond tomorrow, Monday March 13th for two against Utica College at 9:00 a.m. before facing regional foe Wheaton College at 11:15 a.m.