NORWICH MARCHES OVER SOFTBALL IN GNAC TWINBILL SWEEP
April 1, 2012
BOSTON, Mass. - A balanced offensive attack that saw a total of 32 hits powered the Norwich University softball team past Emmanuel College, 9-1 & 19-1, Sunday afternoon at Clemente Field in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action. With the victory, NU improves to 12-8 overall and 6-4 in the GNAC while the Saints drop their 10th consecutive game to fall to 4-20 and 2-10 in GNAC action.
In game one, the Cadets plated six unearned runs in the third to take control of the action following two scoreless innings of play. Third baseman Maggie Walsh got the frame started, reaching via an Emmanuel error and came around to score the game's first run on an RBI by shortstop Abigail Belcher. Up next, Cadets first baseman Erin Clark belted an RBI double to right center to plate Belcher to make it 2-0. Freshman centerfield Kelly Travers made it 4-0 with a blast over the centerfield fence. Junior second baseman Noel Byers kept the inning going with a single up the middle and came around on another EC miscue to give Norwich a 5-0 cushion. Freshman designated player Melissa Rome's RBI single up the middle would account for the final NU run in the inning to make it 6-0, driving in left fielder Corrine Baita who was on via a walk.
Norwich would add three more unearned runs in the top of the sixth to put the game out of reach. Walsh got things started with a double down the right field line and came around to score on a throwing error by the Saints. Catcher Elizabeth Boughton and pitcher Kaylie Miller came around to score on a two-RBI single up the middle by Belcher to make it 9-0.
Emmanuel would get on the board in the bottom half on the sixth as sophomore shortstop Julia Levins (Uxbridge, Mass.) reached with a single up the middle. She'd go on to steal second and third and plate the Saints lone run on an RBI ground out by freshman designated player Julia Demirali (West Roxbury, Mass.) but it'd be all the hosts could muster as Norwich was able to wrap up the inning to take game one, 9-1.
Miller (5-1) went the distance allowing just the one run on four hits while striking out three. Junior Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.)(3-9) took the loss for the Saints allowing six runs, all unearned, over 2 2/3 innings of work.
The Saints got on the board first in game two, plating a run in the bottom of the first as Levins led off the game with an infield single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Demirali. Levins would come in on an RBI groundout by sophomore pitcher Jennifer Garrity (Lynn, Mass.) to give EC its first lead of the afternoon at 1-0.
The lead was short lived as the Cadets would answer with a run in the top of the second to even the score at 1-1. Leftfielder Stephanie Lamy reached with a single to right field and came around to tie the game on an RBI single down through the right side of the infield by centerfield Kim Comtois.
Norwich would blow the game open with an eight-run third inning en route to the doubleheader sweep, sending 14 batters to the plate and collecting seven hits in the frame. Clark reached base twice in the inning with two walks and a run scored as did Byers with two RBI on a single and hit-by-pitch. Also reaching base twice in the frame was Baita with two singles and three RBI.
NU would add seven more runs in the fourth to make it a 16-1 contest. The Cadets would collect eight more hits highlighted by an RBI double by Byers and a two-RBI single from Baita. Clark, Travers, Comtois and Walsh would also add RBI hits in the inning that saw another 12 Norwich batters at the plate.
Baita would deliver a three-run homer to center in the fifth to make it 19-1. She would also go the distance on the mound in game two to improve to 4-4 on the year, allowing just the one run on three hits while striking out three. Garrity (0-4) suffered the loss for Emmanuel allowing eight runs on nine hits over the first 2 1/3 innings.
The Saints will return to action on Wednesday when they host St. Joseph's (ME) in a GNAC doubleheader at 6:30 PM while Norwich doesn't return to the diamond until Friday when they host Rivier for a GNAC twinbill beginning at 3:00 PM.