Cambridge, Mass. – The fourth-seeded Lesley softball team will take on first-seeded Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA. in game four of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament on Thursday at 4:00PM. Here is preview of what's to come this weekend.
THE BRACKET (double-elimination): The winner between Lesley and Eastern Nazarene (ENC) will advance to play the winner of No. 2 New England College (NEC) and No. 6 Newbury College (NEC) on Saturday. Meanwhile, the losers of both previously mentioned games will play in a winner-take-all matchup on Saturday, the winner of that game will play again on Saturday for a place in championship game on Sunday. All games from Saturday through Sunday will be played at Eastern Nazarene College.
LESLEY VS EASTERN NAZARENE: Lesley split their last meeting with the Lions, with Lesley capturing the first game 2-1, while ENC took game two 11-2. This is the first time the Lynx and Lions will play against each other in the NECC tournament.
LESLEY OVERVIEW (24-13):
Lesley comes in following a 3-1 victory over Elms College, riding a seven game winning streak. Lesley have been one of the better offensive teams this season, in the following categories: average (3rd, .343), runs (T-4th, 92), hits (3rd, 149), homeruns (T-2nd, 10), runs batted in (6th, 71), walks (4th, 36), on-base percentage (3rd, .393), and slugging percentage (3rd, .488). From the circle, Lesley boasts a 3.64 earned run average (4th) and 6.86 strikeouts per seven innings (3rd).
EASTERN NAZARENE OVERVIEW (24-12):
The Lions enter the postseason as the top defensive team in the conference, allowing just 20 runs during conference play. In the circle, the Lions boast best earned run average (1.14) and strikeouts per seven innings (8.75). Offensively, the Lions post numbers in the conference, in the following categories: average (4th, .329), runs (3rd, 100), hits (5th, 140), homeruns (T-2nd, 10), runs batted in (3rd, 91), walks (3rd, 37), on-base percentage (5th, .379), and slugging percentage (2nd, .489).
NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OVERVIEW (28-6):
NEC enters tournament on 14 game winning run. The Pilgrims come in as one of the top offensive teams in the conference, in the following categories: average (1st, .366), runs (1st, 134), hits (2nd, 164), homeruns (5th, 7), runs batted in (1st, 111), stolen-bases (1st, 47), on-base percentage (1st, .412), and slugging percentage (4th, .480). Meanwhile defensively, NEC boasts 7.53 strikeouts per seven innings (2nd), and a 1.52 earned run average (2nd).
NEWBURY OVERVIEW (13-25):
Newbury earned its place after an 8-7 upset victory over Becker College. The Nighthawks come into the games with offensive stats, in the following categories: average (5th, .325), runs (6th, 80), hits (5th, 140), runs batted in (5th, 76), on-base percentage (6th, .364), and slugging percentage (6th, .415). From the circle, Newbury post an earned run average of 7.27 (7th).
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