LEICESTER, Mass. — Becker College proved why it was the top seed in the 2016 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Softball Championship Saturday afternoon as the hosting Hawks defeated No. 3 Lesley University 8-0 in six innings at Russell Field to claim the Hawks' first NECC title.
Becker took on Lesley after the Lynx defeated No. 2 Newbury College 8-0 in a five-inning elimination game to start the day.
The Hawks scored four times in the fifth for a 6-0 lead before adding a final two runs in the sixth to end the game early. The victory is the second league crown for the Becker program after the Hawks took the North Atlantic Conference Championship in 2001.
Becker improves to 27-10 on the year and now awaits next week's NCAA Division III bracket announcements to see where and when the Hawks will play in the regional tournament.
Lesley moved to 22-17 with the day's share while Newbury's title bid ended with a 20-13-1 overall record for the Nighthawks.
Becker sophomore third baseman Samantha Lee (Prospect, Conn.) took home the tournament's Most Valuable Player honor for her tremendous performance over the Hawks' three games while senior pitcher Kelsey Norberg (Uxbridge, Mass.) and freshman shortstop Jennifer VanAlphen(Hudson, N.Y.) were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Lesley junior third baseman Carlyn Barker (Temecula, Calif.) and Lynx sophomore right-hander Kaera Wyse (Reading, Mass.) were also selected to the All-Tournament Team along with Newbury senior shortstop Alyssa Donovan (West Haven, Conn.), NC freshman catcher Noelle Sass (Randolph, Mass.), Regis College sophomore Amanda Navarro (Stoneham, Mass.), and RC senior Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, Mass.).
Becker took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second and never looked back, padding its advantage all the way to the crown. The Hawks added four runs in the fifth and another pair in the sixth while Norberg kept Lesley from crossing the plate through the entire game.
Becker senior left fielder Jaclyn Orangio (Maynard, Mass.) went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI while Lee was 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. VanAlphen tallied a 1-for-3 showing at the plate with a walk and two runs scored in the win.
Norberg improved her record from the rubber to 17-3, striking out four while giving up just four hits and two walks. Wyse suffered the loss (15-7), striking out five as she surrendered three earned runs.
Schofield went 1-for-1 with a walk for Lesley while Barker and Reynolds both turned in a 1-for-3 performance. Thayer also went 1-for-2 for the Lynx.
Quezada took a lead-off walk and moved up to second with a sacrifice as Lesley tried to strike early with some small ball. But Norberg would get the next two batters to be retired in the air to bring her team up to the plate. Orangio singled to left to start the bottom of the frame, and she swiped second with two down to get into scoring position. Wyse retired the side with a swinging third strike, however, keep the contest scoreless.
Reynolds lined one into left for Lesley to start the second with a runner onboard, and Thayer followed a sacrifice bunt with a single dropped in front of the Becker center fielder. Thayer stole second for a pair of Lynx to be in scoring position, only to see Norberg work out of it again with a strikeout and subsequent line out to second.
The Hawks got on the board in the next box with the help of an LU fielding mishap. Lee worked a walk to lead-off the frame, and sophomore designated player Brianna Herforth (Peru, Mass.) executed the sac bunt to move her teammate up to second. Junior first baseman Ashley Ciepiela (Adams, Mass.) took a second base on balls, and a grounder to the left went through the legs of the Lesley shortstop for Lee to score while Becker moved runners to second and third with just the one out.
Wyse got the next Hawk to swing early to go down on strikes, but Orangio extended the inning by driving a run in with a frozen rope out to center. Wyse got out the frame with a grounder down to first, but not without the hosts grabbing the early advantage.
Schofield got on in the top of the third with a one-out walk, but she would be doubled off at first when sophomore second baseman Rebecca Carkhuff (Amherst, Mass.) snagged a liner and sent it over to Ciepiela to end the inning. A lone hit by pitch would be stranded at first in the bottom of the box, Wyse striking out the side with a pair of called third strikes to preserve the 2-0 LU deficit.
Norberg registered her first 1-2-3 frame of the day in the fourth, getting her team quickly off the field and back up to the plate. Barker showed off the leather at third to record the first out of the home box, making a nice backhanded grab and retiring the batter at first before Wyse got the next two Hawks to ground out for the side to be retired.
The senior Becker hurler went back to the circle and retired the Lynx in order once again, using another pair of strikeouts to make way for her team to add to its lead. Two straight walks started the bottom of the fifth, and senior center fielder Jessica Wheelahan (Watertown, Conn.) then sent a liner down to third to load the bases. Freshman catcher Megan Klemanchuck (Pawtucket, R.I.) knocked a dribbler towards the circle, being retired at first while Orangio scooted home from third.
Lee continued her great weekend, punching a double to the fence in right for the two Hawk runners to cross the plate and make it a 5-0 ballgame. A throwing error by Lesley allowed VanAlphen to come in, and a walk to Carkhuff then put the winning run on base for Becker. LU made a pitching change, bringing junior righty Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) on to try and keep the game going. She got the job done, getting the next Hawk batter to go down swinging to keep the Lynx's hopes alive.
Norberg retired the leadoff batter in the top of the sixth, a grounder backhanded by Carkhuff being the eighth straight out recorded by the Hawk pitcher. The next two Lynx would single to center, however, getting some offense rolling in an attempt to get on the board. Norberg worked out of it, getting a fly out to right and a grounder to third for the last out.
That would be Norberg's final appearance in her home circle as the Hawks were able to close it out with two final runs in the bottom of the sixth. Orangio worked a leadoff walk to get on base, and VanAlphen then ripped a single to center; a fielding miscue in the outfield allowed Orangio to score while VanAlphen moved up to second. Wheelahan chopped a grounder to the right side, and the ball was thrown to the fence for VanAlphen to round third and touch home with the championship-winning run before continuing into the arms of her celebrating teammates.
