The Pine Manor Gators swept the Suffolk University Softball team in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Double Header on Friday afternoon, all but eliminating any hope of the Rams making it to the GNAC Tournament this season. The Gators took game one 9-3 before exploding offensively 10-2 in the nightcap.
Freshman Tia Nelson (Rockport, Mass.) pitched both ends of the double header for the Gators, throwing complete games in both as Pine Manor has now won four games in a row.
The Gators overcame a 3-2 deficit in the top of the fifth of game one scoring four times, and then tacking on three more in the sixth. Senior Courtney Wallace (Steep Hills, Me.) and sophomore Kayla Nielsen (Saco, Me.) each had three RBI to help lead the Gators to victory. Wallace's two-run single in the fifth put the Gators up 4-3 as they never looked back.
Ashley Gaboriault (Worcester, Mass.) had RBI-singles in both the first and third innings for the Rams, while senior Valerie Liberatore (Chelsea, Mass.) drove in the Rams other run in the third with an RBI-single. Junior Clara Conklin (Haverhill, N.H.) finished the game with two doubles for the Rams.
Game two got off to a poor start for the Rams as well as Pine Manor came out swinging scoring four runs in the first. Nelson helped her own cause on the mound as she had the big hit of the inning driving in a pair of runs with a single. The Gators added three more runs in the third to push their lead to 7-0 after two with freshman Kaylyn Delgado (Worcester, Mass.) drove in two runs with a single to left. Pine Manor got three more in the third as Wallace delivered again driving in two runs with a single.
The Gators finished the game with 17 hits as team, as senior Siobhan Raymond (Winchendon, Mass.) led the way with four.
The Rams offense could only muster four hits in game two off Nelson. Gaboriault had two of the Rams' four both doubles, including a two-run double to right in the fifth inning.
The Gators will round out the GNAC regular season this weekend with games against Emmanuel on Saturday and Albertus Magnus on Sunday. The double header was the regular season finale for the Rams.