CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University softball team was leading Newbury College, 5-2, in the top of the sixth inning in game two of Tuesday's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) double-header when it was halted due to darkness. The Lynx were looking for a split of the twin-bill after falling to the Nighthawks 7-2 in the first game.
Newbury jumped on the board first pushing across two runs in the top of the first inning of game two. Sophomore righthander Alina Milauskas (Elkridge, Md.) helped her own cause driving a base-hit the opposite way before advancing to third on a double by sophomore third baseman Noelle Sass (Randolph, Mass.). With runners in scoring position, senior centerfielder Naomi Ricciotti (Phoenix, Ariz.) ripped a single back where it came from to drive in Milauskas. Moments later first year leftfielder Arianna Gooden (Bakersfield, Calif.) drove home Sass to take a 2-0 lead.
Despite a rough first inning, Lynx first year right-hander Sarah Bushman (Aurora, Colo.) settled down and retired the next four batters she faced. In the top of the third she hit Sass with a pitch but induced a taylor-made double-play ball and fielded her position well to get out of the inning unscathed.
It was the spark the Lynx needed. Senior leftfielder Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) opened in the home-half with walk before scampering into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Classmate, senior third baseman Carlyn Barker (Temecula, Calif.) reached on a three-base error by the centerfielder and in the process came Golden to cut the deficit in the half, 2-1.
The Lynx continued to take advantage of Nighthawk miscues in the field. First year backstop Ally Murphy (Raynham, Mass.) reached on an error in rightfield and in the backdoor came Barker to tie the game at two.
With the game all squared at two momentum had changed addresses. In the top of the fourth the Lynx made up for an error to begin the frame. Junior centerfielder Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) made a nice diving snag on a low line drive and nearly doubled off Ricciotti at first. After a groundball to second recorded the second out the inning, Bushman retired sophomore Tina Babcock (Ayer, Mass.) on strikes to end the frame.
In the home half of the first junior second baseman Courtney Goggin (Chesire, Conn.) greeted the new Nighthawk pitcher, first year lefthander Mallory Stefan (Thornton, Colo.) with a base-hit to leftfield. Goggin advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice before scoring two batters later on a single into leftfield to give the Lynx the 3-2 advantage.
The Lynx escaped a bases loaded one-out jam unscathed in the top of the fifth and it ignited a two-run bottom of the fifth to add to their lead. Murphy opened the bottom of the inning driving a single back where it came from into centerfield. Pinch-running for Murphy, first year Patricia Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) advanced 60 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Bushman. Two batters later Goggin beat out a bunt single to plate Muratore with the fourth Lynx run. Moments later sophomore first baseman Jordan Raab (Rochester, N.H.) scored the fifth run on a base-hit into centerfield.
The game was halted in the top of the sixth due to darkness with the Lynx on top 5-2.
GAME 1: Newbury 7, Lesley 2
In the first game of the twin-bill the Nighthawks jumped on the scoreboard scoring twice in the top of the third. With runners in scoring position, Gooden roped a two-out base-hit back up the middle to plate Sass and Milauskas to give Newbury the 2-0 advantage.
Offensively, the Nighthawks were far from done. Two innings later in the top of the fifth they batted around to put up a crooked number four to take a 6-0 lead. They extended the lead to 7-0 pushing across another run in the top of the seventh.
However, the Lynx were not going to go away quietly. In the home half of the seventh, Pereira kept the game alive reaching on a bunt single. After advancing to second on base-hit by Golden, Pereira got on her horse and scored from second on an opposite field single by sophomore shortstop Abby Henderson (Rochester, N.H. ). Barker drove in Golden for the second Lynx run of the game on single up the middle but that's all they would get.
Stefan earned the victory improving to 5-7 on the season tossing seven innings allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out four. Nisbet took the loss allowing four earned runs on five hits while striking out three in 4.1 innings of work.
Lesley drops to 7-12 on the season and 5-2 in conference action while Newbury improves to 10-11 and 7-0 in the NECC. The Lynx return to the diamond on Friday April 14th when they host Dean College at 3:00 p.m. The Nighthawks will be back in action on Saturday April 15th hosting Mitchell College at 3:00 p.m.