Story courtesy of Rob Palardy, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University softball team swept Mitchell College 9-2 and 10-0 in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) doubleheader Saturday afternoon and in the process took over first place in the conference standings. The Lynx improved to 16-9 (9-0 NECC) while the previously unbeaten Mariners lost their first conference games, dropping to 18-10 (10-2 NECC).
Lesley also celebrated Senior Day as the team honored Jodi Fralick (WOBURN, Mass./Woburn) and Georgia Saltzman (LYNN, Mass./Lynn English).
Game One
Molly Sarson (SANFORD, Maine/Sanford) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Saltzman knocked in two runs, one on an RBI triple in the second inning, to lead the Lynx to a 9-2 victory in game one.
Starting pitcher Cassandra Knox (SEA CLIFF, N.Y./North Shore) went the distance pitching 7.0 innings and gave up just one earned run on seven hits while striking out three. Knox improved to 12-6 with the win.
Mitchell took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning after Meghan Burke (BRONX, N.Y./Preston) tripled to right field one out and later crossed the plate on an RBI groundout by Michele Anderson (SCOTLAND, Conn./Parish Hill).
In the bottom half of the second, Lesley responded with four runs to take a 4-1 advantage. Back-to-back triples by Alyson Durben (STOW, Mass./Nashoba Regional) and Saltzman plated the first Lynx run and Saltzman then scored on a failed pickoff attempt to third base as the ball sailed into left field. Ashley Cunningham (MOUNTAIN TOP, Pa./Crestwood) hit a sacrifice fly and Jenna Fralick (WOBURN, Mass./Woburn) scored the home team's fourth run after stealing third and advancing home on an errant throw.
After a sacrifice fly RBI by Saltzman in the third inning, the Mariners got a run back after Burke scored on a passed ball to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Lynx. It would be the final run of the game for the Mariners as Lesley tacked on four more runs on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Durben in the fourth and RBI singles by Fralick and Emily Mangiaratti (AMHERST, Mass./Amherst Regional) in the fifth.
Game Two
Ten runs on ten hits including a 3-for-3 game with three RBI and two runs by Lesley senior Jodi Fralick highlighted a 10-0 shutout of the Mariners in game two.
Freshman second baseman Jessica Guevara (NANTUCKET, Mass./Nantucket) had a solid game at the plate with two hits and two runs scored and Saltzman tacked on another RBI to contribute to the Lesley win.
Knox pitched four more innings with two strikeouts and Stephanie Vassillion (WARNER, N.H./Kearsarge) closed out the fifth and final inning with a strikeout for Lesley.
Lesley next plays a road doubleheader against NECC rival Elms College on Tuesday, April 27 starting at 3:00 pm while Mitchell plays Wheelock College on Sunday, April 25 at 3:30 pm.