Lesley captures regular season title after sweep

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Lesley University softball team captured the regular season title in the inaugural season of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) after sweeping Wheelock College in double header action on Sunday.  With conference play over, the Lynx improved to 23-10 (13-1 NECC) while Wheelock dropped to 7-20 (7-9 NECC) and will wait to find out their current standing with playoffs approaching.

Game One

Wheelock pitcher Stacy Seidner (Pembroke, N.H.) held the Lynx to just one run over seven innings, but Lesley still was able to hold on for the 1-0 victory.  Seidner pitched the complete game, giving up just four hits and one run while striking out two in the loss.

Her opposition on the mound for the Lynx was senior ace Alicia Burnett (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) who improved to 13-6.  Burnett gave up just two first inning hits and walked one batter while striking out 10 Wildcat batters in the victory.

Lesley's lone run came in the bottom of the second inning.  Sarah Wilson (Lowell, Mass.) led off the inning by crushing a Seidner offering to deep left centerfield for a double.  Christina DiGiorgio (Lowell, Mass.) followed with a bunt single that advance Wilson to third base.  After a strikeout, designated player Chelsea Quackenbush (East Hampton, Conn.) hit a towering fly ball to right field for the sacrifice fly to bring in Wilson. 

Wheelock would get the tying run on base in the top of the seventh inning with a Kristen Brock (Plainville, Mass.) walk, but Burnett escape the jam to solidify a win in game one.

Game Two

The Lesley offense came alive early in a game two victory that saw the Lynx win 5-1.  In the bottom of the first inning, sophomore Alyson Durben (Stow, Mass.) stroked a triple to left centerfield that scored Lani Cabral-Pini (Wilmington, Mass.) who had walked to reach base, then stole second.  Later in the inning, Sarah Wilson and Gianna Spaziante (Hawthorne, N.Y.) would earn RBIs via a single and sacrifice fly, respectively.  Two other runs scored by a passed ball and a wild pitch.

The Wildcat defense held the Lynx in check for the rest of the game and Wheelock was score their first run of the afternoon on a RBI single up the middle by Elise Ordile (Waltham, Mass.) in the fifth inning.

Wheelock threatened to inflict more damage in top of the seventh inning with two outs after a single by Stacy Seidner and a ground-rule double by Nicole Zina (Bristol, R.I.).  With two runners in scoring position, Lynx pitcher Cassandra Knox forced an Ordile fly out to end the game.

Knox struck out six batters in the complete game victory.  The freshman improved to 9-4 as she gave up just one unearned run on four hits and two walks.

With the number one seed, Lesley will now wait to see who they will play in the NECC Championships week following quarterfinal play.  The Lynx have a double header schedule against non-conference opponent Framingham State College on Tuesday starting at 3:30 pm.  Wheelock will find out on Monday who they will be facing in their quarterfinal game which is expected to be played on Tuesday, April 28. 

To learn more about the Lesley University softball team, please visit their website.

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu