Lamoureux goes 5-for-6, drives home two

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (April 2, 2010) – Freshman shortstop Aimee Lamoureux (East Brookfield, Mass.) hit 5-for-6 and drove home two runs on Friday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University softball team was swept by Bentley in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Lassie League Field. Bentley won the first game, 5-2, and the second game, 4-2.

With the losses, Franklin Pierce is now 6-11 (1-3 Northeast-10), while Bentley improves to 5-5 (2-0 Northeast-10) with the sweep. The games were home games for Franklin Pierce, but were played off campus due to unplayable field conditions in Rindge.

In the first game, Bentley opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. With one out, freshman shortstop Stephanie Kasson reached on a bunt single and moved to second when freshman center fielder Taylor Feery followed with a single into left field. Junior second baseman Christine D'Amico then reached at first on a fielder's choice, while Feery was erased at second and Kasson moved to third. D'Amico would steal second and wind up on third as Franklin Pierce freshman catcher Jessica Furtado (Taunton, Mass.) overthrew second base, which allowed Kasson to come home to score. D'Amico then scored on an RBI single down the right-field line by junior right fielder Lindsay Ayers.

The Falcons pushed the lead to 3-0 with another run in the top of the fourth inning. Sophomore catcher Megan Blier worked a leadoff walk and was replaced by sophomore pinch runner Brittany Walter. Walter stole second, took third on a groundout and would later score when sophomore third baseman Jasmine Ortiz reached on an error.

Bentley ran the lead as high as 5-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. With one out, D'Amico pushed a single through the left side and stole second before Ayers walked and sophomore designated player Meghan Carter reached on an error to load the bases. Blier singled up the middle to drive home the first run of the inning and Ayers would later score on a groundball to short, as the throw by Lamoureux pulled Furtado off the plate on the force-out attempt.

Franklin Pierce came up with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to create the 5-2 final. Sophomore first baseman Keryn Shannon (Dracut, Mass.) led off with a single into left field. Junior pinch hitter Erin Clark (Fort Ann, N.Y.) followed and hit a groundball to third base, but runners wound up at first and second as Ortiz committed a throwing error attempting to force Shannon at second. Two batters later, Shannon scored and Clark went to third as sophomore outfielder Jayme Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) reached first and took second on a throwing error by Bentley sophomore right-hander Tara Fogarty. Sophomore third baseman Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton, Mass.) then singled back through the middle to drive home Clark with the second run of the inning.

Junior right-hander Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) started in the circle and took the loss (2-5) in the first game for Franklin Pierce. Over 4.1 innings, she allowed five runs (two earned) on eight hits, walked two and struck out one. Freshman right-hander Rachel Allen (Hull, Mass.) tossed the final 2.2 innings without allowing a run.

Fogarty threw a complete game to pick up the win (1-3) for Bentley. She allowed two runs (both unearned) on six hits, walked one and struck out six.

In the second game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Bilafer knocked a single into center and moved around to third when O'Neal drove a double over the head of the left fielder. After Shannon was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Lamoureux pulled an RBI single through the left side to plate Bilafer from third.

The Ravens doubled the lead to 2-0 with another run in the bottom of the third. Bilafer kicked things off again, this time with a single that dropped inside the left-field line. Two batters later, Bilafer was forced out at second as Shannon reached on a fielder's choice. Shannon then stole second and scored on an opposite-field, RBI single to right by Lamoureux.

Bentley cut the lead in half and made it 2-1 with a run in the top of the fifth. Junior left fielder Maitlyn Kraft led off and clubbed a double into the gap in left-center and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Ortiz then reached on a walk to put runners at the corners, and Bentley attempted a delayed double steal with the first-and-third situation. Franklin Pierce sophomore catcher Jamie Verner (Natick, Mass.) elected to throw through to second base, which was covered by Lamoureux. Lamoureux then tried to catch Ortiz going back to first, but threw the ball away, which allowed Kraft to score from third.

The Falcons then tied the score at 2-2 with another run in the top of the sixth. D'Amico started things up with a double into the left-center field gap and moved to third two batters later when sophomore catcher Chanelle Morse reached on an error. Bentley put the first-and-third play on again and this time the delayed double steal worked, as Morse took second and D'Amico swiped home to tie the score.

Bentley would then take the 4-2 lead and eventually the victory with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Senior first baseman Christina Figueredo led off with a walk and moved to second on a single back through the middle by Ortiz. After a sacrifice pushed the runners to second and third, Feery brought them both home, as she turned on a pitch and launched a two-run double off the fence in right-center field.

Sophomore right-hander Jessica Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) took the ball for Franklin Pierce in the second game, threw 5.1 innings and did not factor in the decision. She allowed two runs on three hits, walked three and struck out seven. Johnson pitched the final 1.2 innings and took the loss (2-6) out of the bullpen. She surrendered two runs on two hits, walked one and struck out one.

Senior right-hander Ashley Messina started in the circle for Bentley in the second game and did not factor in the decision. Over four innings of work, she gave up two runs on five hits, did not issue a walk and struck out one. Freshman right-hander Erica Thibodeau then fired three shutout innings to pick up the win (1-0) in relief. She allowed just one hit, did not issue a walk and struck out three.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 3, when they travel to Saint Michael's for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon at Doc Jacobs Field in Colchester, Vt. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Tuesday, April 13 against Merrimack at 3 p.m.