BENNINGTON, Vt. – Timely hitting and strong defensive play helped carry the visiting Lesley University softball team over Southern Vermont College in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) doubleheader at Willow Park on Monday afternoon. The Lynx took Game 1 8-1 with a seven-run third, and junior pitcher Jennifer Dorval (Franklin, N.H.) threw a no-hitter in five innings of work in Lesley's 9-0 day-cap victory.
The Mountaineers fall to 4-8 in league play (5-16 overall) while LU improves to 11-1 in the NECC, 15-13 overall.
Lesley 8, SVC 1
After a scoreless first, Southern Vermont took a marginal lead in the bottom of the second when sophomore catcher Shelby Jones (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) led off with a walk and came all the way around to score on a Lesley throwing error.
The Lynx responded with a huge third during which they used small ball and took advantage of a couple Mountaineer mistakes. Lesley freshman second baseman Danielle McDonald (Lancaster, Pa.) then capped the frame with a two-run triple and scored when the throw in wasn't executed to put LU up 7-1.
The Lynx would add an insurance run in the sixth with a suicide squeeze by senior designated hitter Emily Mangiaratti (Amherst, Mass.) to score junior shortstop Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J.). After the second inning miscue, Lesley was perfect in the field, helping keep the Mountaineers from building any momentum to stage a comeback.
Lesley junior starting right-hander Nicole Mercurio (Wakefield, Mass.) took home the win (7-4), allowing no earned runs on five hits and two walks while picking up the complete game. She struck out eight batters on the day. Southern Vermont sophomore righty Emily Fleming (Gansevoort, N.Y.) suffered the loss (2-9) despite giving up just three earned runs on ten hits and a walk.
Jones went 2-2 with a walk and run scored for Southern Vermont while sophomore first baseman Hayley McDonald (Latham, N.Y.) was 1-1 with a walk.
Mangiaratti and Mercurio each finished 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI; Mangiaratti also swiped two bags in the game. McDonald went 1-3 with two runs knocked in and another scored.
Lesley 9, SVC 0
Lesley would come out in Game 2 to tack up a quick pair in the first with a double to the left center fence off the bat of junior catcher Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) that scored both runners on base.
The next two innings went by without a run crossing before the Lynx put up another crooked number, this time being a six spot in the top of the fourth. LU continued to lay the ball down with runners on, forcing the Mountaineers to have costly throwing mistakes. A Fountain sacrifice fly to left scored the fifth run and a Mercurio double to left center brought in Mangiaratti to go ahead 8-0. The Lynx added their ninth the following inning with a single to the SVC shortstop, plating senior Rian Powers (Portland, Maine).
Southern Vermont was hard-pressed to manufacture any offense with Dorval continuing to keep the Mountaineer batters off balance. She picked up her third win of the year (3-5) with the no-no, walking three and striking out four in her five innings of work. McDonald took the loss in the circle for SVC (3-7) after allowing nine runs (two earned) on nine hits.
Lesley junior centerfielder Maria Nazzaro (North Reading, Mass.) went 3-3 in the game with two RBIs and a run scored. Fountain finished 1-2 with three runs batted in while Mercurio was 1-3 with an RBI.
Southern Vermont is back in NECC action Saturday with a home doubleheader against Newbury College (1/3 p.m.), and Lesley looks to its non-conference Tuesday twin-bill at Salve Regina University (4/6 p.m.).