The Suffolk University Softball team and Lasell College Lasers split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon. Suffolk took game one, 4-1 as junior Nikki Cignarella (Norwood, Mass.) drove in a pair of runs and sophomore Sarah Chasse (Salem, Mass.) threw a complete game on the mound striking out five. The Lasers salvaged a split in the nightcap as freshman Nicole LeBlanc (Easton, Mass.) helped pace a 10-hit Lasers attack going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Game One
Suffolk jumped out to an early 2-0 after one inning of play. Chasse helped out her own cause she singled to lead off the game and then took home on a throw down to second base as junior Erin McAndrews (Marblehead, Mass.) stole second base after singling earlier in the inning. Freshman Meredith Ball (Nahant, Mass.) would drive in a run with an RBI base hit later in the inning to stake Suffolk to the two run edge.
The Lasers would answer in the second inning cutting the deficit in half as LeBlanc and sophomore Denise Archetto (Cranston, R.I.) led the inning off with back to back singles. After a double play, Archetto would come around to score on a dropped fly ball that would have ended the inning.
Suffolk tacked on some insurance with a pair of runs in the fifth as Cignarella's double would plate sophomore Nicole Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.) and McAndrews.
Chasse scattered seven hits through seven innings of work as she punched out five Lasers' hitters with strikeouts to earn her fifth win of the season for Suffolk. The complete game effort was her fourth on the year.
Game Two
Lasell would score runs in each of the first three innings, including five in the second to hold on for a 9-8 victory. The Lasers held off a six-run sixth inning by the Rams as they salvaged a split of the doubleheader to move to 8-24 on the season and 5-15 in GNAC play.
Suffolk holds a 10-22 mark and 8-12 conference record.
The Lasers would take advantage of three Suffolk errors in the first as junior Santina Antoshak (Closter, N.J.) reached on a Suffolk miscue to start things, and then would come around to score on another misplay for the 1-0 lead.
Erin McAndrews and freshman Julia Ludvigsen (Dedham, Mass.) would hit consecutive triples in the home half of the first as the Rams took a 2-1 edge.
Lasell would score five times in the third inning as LeBlanc and sophomore Amanda Szidat (Westford, Mass.) each knocked in a pair of runs with singles in the inning as the Lasers batted around in the frame.
In the fifth inning, freshman Eileen Bergen (Arlington, Mass.) drew a lead off walk before back-to-back triples by freshman Emily DeAngelis (Shelton, Conn.) and LeBlanc would tack on two more runs.
Suffolk would chip away in the sixth inning as Rosa and McAndrews each drove in runs with RBI singles, before Ludvigsen connected on her first career collegiate home run, a three-run blast as the Rams scored six times in the inning.
Antoshak finished the nightcap 1-for-4 scoring two runs and adding two RBI.
LeBlanc was 4-for-7 in the two games combined for the Lasers, while junior Courtney Moen (Brookfield, Mass.) had three hits. Freshman Erin Larghi (Wakefield, R.I.) also added three hits on the day for Lasell, while scoring a run in game two.
Five Suffolk players recorded multiple hits in game two as the Rams put together a 13-hit attack.
McAndrews and Cignarella each had four hits in the two games combined. McAndrews scored four times as she was 4-for-6 with a pair of RBI.
Chasse scored three times on the day along with three hits, while Rosa was 3-for-7 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored.
Lasell will be back in action on Friday afternoon as they host Anna Maria College in a GNAC Doubleheader beginning at 3:00pm.
Suffolk will travel to New Haven, CT for a conference twinbill with Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday.