WESTON, Mass. – Regis College Softball defeated Elms College, 7-6, and 13-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader, on Saturday, April 13, at the Regis Softball Field.
GAME ONE: Regis 7, Elms 6:
Despite holding an early lead and making a comeback to go into extra innings, Elms College could not hold on as Regis College had timely hitting to clinch its first conference victory of the season.
The Blazers scored two runs in the top of the first, with a two-out rally just before Mya Gaspie (Hooksett, N.H.) coined her first strikeout of the game to end the first half of the inning.
Bianca Burke (Cambridge, Mass.) started off with a walk for the Pride, followed by a walk drawn by Lexi Nichols (Granby, Conn.). Mel Rees (Middleborough, Mass.) knocked both batters in after hitting her fourth home run of the season to lead by one run with one out. With the bases loaded, the Blazers closed out the inning by catching a pop-up to right field.
The Pride held the Blazers to one hit in the top of the second with no runs. Regis's offense could not break through at the bottom of the inning, as the Blazers earned three consecutive outs to head into the third inning chasing one run.
Abby Erickson (Worcester, Mass.) earned the first two outs of the third while Grace Motto (Wareham, Mass.) finished with a routine grounder to hold the Blazers to no hits. Rees started up the inning with a double to right field, later advancing to third after a pop fly. With a runner in scoring position, Erickson hit a sacrifice fly to center field, knocking in Rees to head into the top of the fourth, 4-2.
There were no hits, runs or errors from either team in the fourth inning.
Elms scored in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly, closing the deficit by one. There were no hits from Regis in the fifth inning.
The Blazers extended their offensive output, scoring two runs to take the lead in the top of the sixth, 5-4, and holding the Pride to no hits in the bottom of the sixth.
Elms scored on a double RBI in the seventh inning to extend their lead to 6-4.
Burke started up the bottom portion of the inning reaching on a fielder's choice, later advancing to second after a base hit from Bradish. Rees coined a double, bringing in two runs to score, tying the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh.
Elms started with a walk to lead the top of the eighth but was unable to score as Regis held the Blazers to no hits, while leaving two runners on base.
After starting with a runner on second in the tiebreaker, Erickson hit a single to move Avery Patles (Derry, N.H.) to third, putting her in scoring position. Gaspie followed, hitting a single to left center, driving in Patles to earn the first Pride conference victory with a final of 7-6.
GAME TWO: REGIS 13, ELMS 5:
The Blazers started the second game scoring two runs in the top of the first on wild pitches.
The Pride responded with eight consecutive runs off of six hits in the bottom of the inning, starting with a triple from Burke who advanced to home on an error from the Blazers. Gaspie earned an RBI after knocking a double to right center, driving in Rees. Continuing the momentum, Motto knocked a triple, bringing in Gaspie to lead 3-2, with two outs. Chloe Beland (Southborough, Mass.) made contact, earning a single and RBI to bring in Motto. Extending the lead, Burke coined a single to bring in two runs, and scored on an error to extend the Pride lead to six runs.
Regis collected three quick outs in the second inning, holding Elms to no hits, while the Pride earned one hit to head into the third inning, 8-2. There were no hits for either team in the third inning.
The Blazers scored one run in the fourth inning after Kelsey Bennett hit the ball deep to center, knocking in Kyla Cook, to score the third run for the Blazers.
With two outs and runners in scoring position, the Pride could not break through despite a hit to center by Motto, as the Blazers earned the third out to finish the fourth inning, still trailing by five.
The Blazers offense poked through in the top of the fifth, earning two runs off three hits. In attempt to put more runs on the board, Caity Flynn hit a shot to center field, where Burke tracked down the ball to earn the third out of the inning.
Beland started off the bottom of the fifth inning with a walk, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Bradish reached first on an error, later advancing to second, with Beland on third. With runners in scoring position and two outs, the Pride were unable to advance home despite their efforts. Regis led 8-5, heading into the sixth inning.
Regis held Elms with no hits in the top of the sixth, with Rees striking out two.
With no outs and runners on first and second, Patles reached first on a fielder's choice to give an offensive advantage. With bases loaded, Motto coined a hit to left field bringing in two runs, while advancing to second on the throw. To extend the lead, Beland reached first on an error, bringing in Patles to score the third run of the inning. Marissa Allen (Coventry, R.I.) knocked in two runs to finish the day with a second conference victory, finishing 13-5.
Regis (6-14, 2-4 GNAC) are set to host Lasell University on Sunday, April 14 at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Elms (3-19, 0-4 GNAC) will travel to face Emmanuel College on Sunday, April 14, with a start time of 11:00 a.m.