2011 NECC Tournament Program
2011 NECC Tournament directions, parking, food & lodging
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Lesley brings its program-record 16-game winning streak into tomorrow's New England Collegiate Conference Tournament in search of the Lynx fourth straight league title, this time with an NCAA Tournament birth at stake.
Jen Benway's club with face No. 5 Newbury in Friday's 10:00 a.m. semifinals match-up. The Nighthawks enter the tournament as the league's second-hottest team, winners of seven straight following their 4-1 opening round win on Tuesday at No. 4 Becker.
At 26-6 and 16-0 in-league, Lesley became the first team in NECC history to finish conference play undefeated. With a .411 team batting average, the Lynx lead the nation in hitting, as well as runs per game, at 9.63.
Seniors Alyson Durben, Ashley Cunningham and Chelsea Quackenbush look to make it four conference championships in four years. The trio went to the NCAA Tournament as freshmen in 2008 after winning the North Atlantic Conference Tournament. Having won both league tournaments since the inception of the NECC, they look to make it a third and return to NCAA's.
Benway's lineup is a steady one and a deep one, with contributors from top to bottom to the bench, first-year players through seniors. Jennifer Dorval (Franklin, NH/Franklin) is leading the nation in batting average at .592 (45-for-76) and is third nationally with a .647 on-base percentage in her freshman season. Leadoff hitter Emily Mangiaratti (Amherst, MA/Amherst) entered the week fourth in the NCAA in runs per game at 1.44, and after reaching base safely in all 16 NECC contests, the sophomore led the league with 46 runs overall. Junior college transfer Gabrielle Brixey (Coalinga, CA/West Hills CC) has added punch to the middle of the Lesley order, hitting .438 and ranking among NECC leaders in batting (6th, .438), hits (3rd, 39), runs (2nd, 37) and total bases (3rd, 59), leading the league with four triples.
On the mound, meanwhile, is where the Lynx can be most dominant. Three of Cassandra Knox's eight starts in NECC play resulted in no-hitters and all ended in with her getting the win. The 2010 NECC Tournament Most Valuable Player, Knox (Sea Cliff, NY/North Shore) finished league play with a 0.00 earned run average and posted a 1.30 ERA on the season, going 12-4 with one save over 18 appearances.
Dorval completed the Lynx 1-2 combo with a freshman season as successful on the mound as it was in the batter's box. She finished the year 13-2 with a 1.68 ERA, striking out 113 batters. In NECC games, she was also perfect, going 7-0 and striking out 62 of 114 batters.
In other NECC Tournament play, No. 3 Mitchell topped No. 6 Daniel Webster, 11-3 on Tuesday. Mitchell moves on to face No. 2 Elms College (20-12, 14-2) which, like the Lynx, received a first-round bye. The Lynx bested Elms in last year's NECC Championship, 4-3, on an eighth-inning Durben sacrifice fly that scored Jessica Guevara.
A complete NECC Tournament schedule is below:
2011 NECC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals • Tuesday, May 3
Game 1- #3 Mitchell (13-17, 10-6) 11, Daniel Webster (7-17, 5-11) 3
Game 2-#5 Newbury (9-22, 9-7) 4, #4 Becker (14-20, 10-6), 1
Semifinals • Friday, May 6 (Hosted by Lesley at UMass-Boston)
Game 3-#4 Newbury (10-22) vs. #1 Lesley (26-6, 16-0), 10:00 a.m.
Game 4-#3 Mitchell (14-17) vs. #2 Elms (20-12, 14-2), 12:00 p.m.
Game 5-Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 2:00 p.m.
Game 6-Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 4:00 p.m.
Semifinals and Championship Game • Saturday, May 7 (Hosted by Lesley at UMass-Boston)
Game 7-Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6, 12:00 p.m.
Game 8-Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7, 2:00 p.m.
Championship Game • Sunday, May 8 (Hosted by Lesley at UMass-Boston)
Game 9 (If Necessary), 1:00 p.m.
