Lasell Baseball splits GNAC doubleheader with Norwich

WALTHAM, Mass. – Freshman left-hander Sean Doris (Lincoln, R.I.) pitched a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts Saturday afternoon to lead Lasell College to a 3-0 victory over Norwich University to help the Lasers earn a split of the Great Northeast Athletic (GNAC) baseball doubleheader at Stein Field.

The Cadets took the opening game of the twin bill, 2-0, as freshman Luke Johansen (Doylestown, Pa.) and senior Ed Gates (Griswold, Conn.) combined to allow just five hits and one walk. With the split, Lasell moves to 4-14 overall and 3-3 in the GNAC while Norwich is now 2-17 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Lasell gets right back into action Sunday with a GNAC doubleheader at Johnson & Wales University, beginning at noon. Norwich's twin bill Sunday at Rivier has been postponed, leaving the Cadets' next game set for Tuesday, April 17, at home against in-state rival Middlebury College (3:30 p.m)

Game 1 – Norwich 2, Lasell 0

Johansen scattered five hits and a walk over six innings to post the win (1-2) for the Cadets, striking out two, and Gates pitched a scoreless seventh inning for his first save. Doris had two hits for Lasell as the starting right fielder, and junior Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) had a sixth-inning double.

Norwich scored both of its runs in the fifth inning. Junior Chris Dayos (Temecula, Calif.) delivered a single that scored junior Jacob Barlow (Newburyport, Mass.)  to break the scoreless tie, and freshman shortstop Jacob Parizo (Groton, Conn.) later plated Dayos with an RBI single.

Sophomore Zach Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) went the distance for Lasell but suffered the tough-luck loss; he allowed just two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out five.

Game 2 – Lasell 3, Norwich 0

Doris allowed just one hit and two walks for the complete-game effort, fanning 12 to improve his record to 2-1. He struck out the side in the first inning after issuing a walk and didn't allow another baserunner until a lead-off walk in the fourth.

Doris' no-hit attempt was broken up when junior Mike Lesco (Somers, Conn.) led off the sixth inning with a double, but Doris struck out the next three batters to avoid any trouble, and fanned two of three batters in a perfect seventh inning to complete the victory.

Lasell broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Junior Zach Herring (Fresno, Calif.) led off with a single and junior Rob Cutone (Tewksbury, Mass.) was hit by a pitch. Herring came home on a Norwich throwing error, and Marchesseault later added an RBI single.

The Lasers added an insurance run in the sixth inning as Doris helped his own cause with a lead-off single, went to third on a Norwich error, and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Chris Maringo (Farmingville, N.Y.)

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