Monks Take Two from Softball in Season Finale

NEWTON, Mass. (4/30/16) – The Lasell softball team fell to the visiting Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine in their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) twinbill finale on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field. The Lasers close out the 2016 season at 10-26 and 5-17 in the GNAC, while the Monks end at 22-17 and 13-9 in league play.

Game One: St. Joe's 6 Lasell 2

Senior Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) crushed her 15^th career homerun and fourth of the season that drove in two runs for the Lasers. Junior Erin Smith (Gorham, Maine) swung into two hits and crossed home once in the effort, while senior Erin Larghi (Wakefield, R.I.), sophomore Ashley Gatchell (Franklin, Mass.) and freshman Maggie King (Sandy Creek, N.Y.) added a hit as well.

Freshman Jenelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) dominated a 3-for-3 performance at the plate to lead the Monks' offense, while also scoring a run of her own. Classmate Meghan Elliot (Blackstone, Mass.) joined Thompson in the charge with two hits, two runs, and two ribbies, as junior Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) tacked on a run and two base knocks of her own.

In the top of the first, Elliott stepped to the plate as the Monks' two-spot hitter and cracked a double to right field to start the surge for the St. Joe's offense. A deep single to left by junior Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) sent Elliott on her horse to put the visitors up 1-0 at the end of one.

The Lasers fired back in their first plate appearance, as Smith singled to center and stole second before LeBlanc cracked a two-run homer to left for the 2-1 go-ahead run. The lead wouldn't stand for long, as a triple by senior Megan Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) set up Katie freshman Charbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.) for the sac bunt to deadlock the game 2-2 heading into the second side.

Both pitchers stifled their targets until the top of the seventh, where Elliott ignited a two-out rally with a double to left field that scored Thompson and Chadbourne. With ducks on second and third, sophomore Shannon Laubauskas (Mexico, Maine) swung into an RBI base knock to center field before Elliott crossed the plate for the Monks' final run for the 6-2 final.

Both pitchers tossed a complete game on the hill, as freshman Lydia Lewis-Hicks (Seekonk, Mass.) allowed six earned runs in the loss, while junior Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) struck out four with two earned runs in the victory.

Game Two: St. Joe's 7 Lasell 1

Senior Eileen Bergin (Arlington, Mass.) went 2-for-3 to contribute to the Lasers' five hits, while Smith continued a strong offensive outing with a double and an RBI. LeBlanc swung into her final base knock as a Laser, and sits as Lasell's all-time leader with a career total of 169 hits.

Senior Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) highlighted the win for the Monks with her second career homer and first career grand slam for four total RBI's. Elliot drove in the remaining run for St. Joe's with two runs scored, while Tripp added a double and a run as well.

The Monks again got a hot start to the contest as Tripp led off the lineup with a deep double to right field, before Thompson worked her to third on a sac bunt to the pitcher. Elliot knocked in Tripp with a groundout to the hill to give the Monks an early 1-0 start.

St. Joe's scored two runs of insurance on two hits and one Lasell error, leaving zero on base for a 3-0 lead before the Lasers put one on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. DeAngelis reached first on an infield error from the Monks, and later scored by a Smith double down the right field Line to trail 3-1 with two innings to play.

In the top of the sixth, Mayhew took the plate with the bases juiced and slammed a four-run granny over the left field fence that put the game out of reach for Lasell.

Despite the loss on the mound, Bergin fanned two Monks to close her career with 285 strikeouts, an all-time high at Lasell College. Freshman Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) backstopped the Monks in the win on 6.0 innings pitched with eight strikeouts and zero earned runs.