Falcons Take Pair From Lasers

LeBlanc and Forcier lead Green and Gold to non-conference sweep

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team earned a non-conference doubleheader sweep (16-8, 13-10) of Lasell College on Wednesday afternoon at the Donna Lee Withington Memorial Softball Field.

The Basics

Game 1: Fitchburg State University 16, Lasell 8 (Five Inn) (Game One)
Game 2: Fitchburg State University 13, Lasell 10 (Game Two)
Records: Fitchburg State (19-7) | Lasell (3-19)

Up Next

The Falcons will travel to Bridgewater State on Saturday afternoon to take on the Bears in a MASCAC doubleheader starting at noon. The Lasers will host Saint Joseph (Conn.) on the same day.

How It Happened - Game 1 (FSU 16, LC 8)

Lasell jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the visitor side of the first inning with Victoria Spellman (Rocky Hill, Conn.), Sarah Klein (Vernon, Conn.) and Sarah Walton (Poland, ME) each delivering RBI at-bats.

With table setters Michelle LeBlanc (Ashburnham, Mass.) and McKenzie Lambert (Wilbraham, Mass.) on base, senior Nicole Sylvester (Everett, Mass.) delivered a double to left field platting LeBlanc. Lambert would score when Mikayla Harnois (Attleboro, Mass.) reach on an error by Lasell. Up next freshman Audrey Johnson (Fitchburg, Mass.) belted a double to center field scoring Sylvester to tie the game, 3-3. First year Olivia Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) gave the Falcons the lead for good with a line drive to left field scoring Harnois. The Green and Gold would tack on six more unearned runs to hold a commanding lead (10-3) after one complete.

The Green and Gold struck for six more runs on seven hits in the second frame. A 2-RBI double from junior Emma Campbell (Goffstown, NH) highlighted the inning.

The Visitors answered back in the top of the third inning. Junior Arianna Genovese (Rocky Hill, Conn.) tripled home classmate Spellman and Nicolette Genkos (Ellington, Conn.) drew a bases loaded walk as the Lasers cut the deficit to 16-8.

Freshman Lundyn Forcier (Woonsocket, RI) pitched a clean fourth and fifth inning for the Falcons to earn her first collegiate win. In 2.1 innings of relief she allowed just one hit with one strikeout.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Fourth game by the Falcons with 15 hits or more
• Seventh game with double-digit runs scored
• Lambert led the way for the hosts, going 3-for-4, with a double and 2 RBI
• Samantha Woodman (Essex, Mass) was a perfect 3-for-3
• Leblanc, Sylvester, Johnson, and Pietersen each had two hits
• Harnois was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI
• Genovese and Walton each had two hits for Lasell

How It Happened - Game 2 (FSU 13, LC 10)

Both teams notched runs in the first inning of game 2. Genovese doubled home sophomore Hailey Haskins (Franklin, Mass) for an early 1-0 for the Lasers. The Falcons forged ahead 2-1, capitalizing on a pair of Lasell miscues in the home half.

Traiiling 3-2, freshman Courtney Luker (North Reading, Mass) and LeBlanc knotted the score with back-to-back doubles, in the home half of the second inning. Two batters later LeBlanc scored on Johnson's single up the middle to reclaim the lead.

Lasell responded in the top of the third inning, drawing a two-out bases loaded walk to even it up (4-4). Genovese delivered a bases clearing double to push the lead to 9-4.

After a pair scoreless innings for the Green and Gold, the bats got hot again. With the bases full of Falcons LeBlanc crushed a triple to deep center field and scored when Lambert followed with a base hit to right field.  Two more unearned runs came across to give the home team the lead (10-9) once again.

Lasell retied the contest (10-10) in top of the sixth as sophomore Kailey Bell (Pittsfield, Mass.) reached on a fielding miscue that allowed Genkos to cross the plate, but the Green and Gold answered back in their half of the sixth with Lambert collecting an RBI double, while Sylvester followed with a two run single down the right field line, resulting in the 13-10, game two final to complete the sweep.

Harnois picked up the win in game two for Fitchburg State, allowing one unearned run on five hits with one K in four innings of relief. Sophomore Hanna Doherty (Hampton, N.H.) took the loss for Lasell, yielding three runs on three hits with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Tenth meeting between the two teams in softball with the Falcons 6-4 vs the Lasers
• Eighth game with double-digit runs scored
• LeBlanc finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and four RBI for the Falcons
• Luker added two hits, including a double and three runs scored
• Harnios, Lambert and Johnson were also solid for the Green and Gold, collecting two hits each
• Genovese hit 4-for-5 with two doubles, one run scored and four RBI for the Lasers
• Brianna Gendreau (Warren, R.I.) and Hailey Haskins (Franklin, Mass.) chipped in with one RBI each for Lasell