GAME OVERVIEW:

REVERE, MA. – The Lesley Lynx Softball team dropped both games of their first NECC conference doubleheader on Friday night, losing to Mitchell College 5-4 and 9-6. The Lynx settle at .500 on the season and drop to 0-2 in conference play, while Mitchell moves up to 12-12 and 2-0 in the NECC.

INSIDE GAME 1:

• Both games were back-and-forth affairs, but game one slipped away from the Lynx due to sloppy fielding. After Jenna Bennett reached on an error by Mahlia Medina in the top of the third to load the bases, Brooke Whitmarsh gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly.
• The Lynx grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a bases-loaded, two-out clutch single by Holly Swinamer to drive in Jordan Day and Ilana Zack. Mitchell regained the lead in the fifth inning, scoring on back-to-back hits by Emily Reynolds and Madison Nicynski.
• The Lynx grabbed two runs again in the bottom of the sixth to regain their lead. Day and Zack picked up back-to-back singles to start the inning and Antonia Kieran moved them both into scoring position on a ground out. Day would later score on a wild pitch and Zack came in to score as Swinamer reached on an error Nicynski at second base.
• Mitchell took their lead back after Bennett singled and Whitmarsh reached on another error by Medina, setting things up for Sydney Oatway to later drive them both in. Katelyn Lipsky held on on the mound to finish the Lynx in game one. Lipsky was great, despite allowing four runs, striking out twelve Lynx batters over the complete game effort.

INSIDE GAME 2:

• What looked like a rough night early for the Lynx turned into another exciting game later on. Lesley did take the lead first, scoring twice off Mariners starter Reynolds on an RBI single by Megan Murphy and a productive grounder by Zack.
• Whitmarsh cut the lead in half in the third inning with a single and the Mariners got their bats going in the following inning. Gemma Landry and Bennett each had a two-run double in the fourth to put four runs up and make it a 5-2 lead. Mitchell added one more in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Landry.
• Lesley refused to go quietly, coming back with a four-run bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game. Back-to-back twoout singles by Tara Eldredge and Medina led to Murphy getting a chance and reaching on an error by Mariners third baseman Sarah Aviles. Day delivered a huge two-run double to set things up for Zack with a chance to tie the game. She hit a groundball to Landry at short, which was bobbled, and Day caught the Mariners defense sleeping to come in to score behind Murphy for the tying run.
• Mitchell got back on track in extra innings, scoring three times in the top of the eighth on three straight hits by Bennett, Whitmarsh, and Nicynski. The Lynx were unable to match and fell in the bottom of the eighth.

UP NEXT:

The Lynx return to conference action tomorrow, Saturday April 16th, as they welcome New England College for a doubleheader beginning at noon.