Lisa Baillargeon gave the Nor'easters a 10-8 lead with a two-run shot in the seventh
Box Score
WENHAM, Mass. -- In a The Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament elimination game played at Gordon College, Joanne Brignoli '08 (Feeding Hills, Mass.) singled through the left side to score Lauren Person '08 (Vernon, Conn.), giving Nichols College an 11-10 extra-inning win over the University of New England Nor'easters.
The No. 2 Bison (25-15) advance to Saturday's semifinal round and will face No. 3 Western New England College. Top-seeded Endicott College awaits the winner of that contest. The fourth-seeded Nor'easters wrap up their season at 24-14.
It would be all UNE early, as the Nor'easters built a 7-0 lead after two-and-a-half innings. Katie Morin '08 (Lewiston, Maine) hammered a three-run homer to center in the second to help UNE forge its lead.
Nichols got back into the game in the home half of the third, scoring five runs on just three hits. The Bison took advantage of a pair of UNE errors in the frame. Valeri Calcagni '10 (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Lauren Lombardo '10 (Wolcott, Conn.) each knocked in two runs with singles.
The Bison would tie the game at 7-all the following inning on RBI singles by Brignoli and Calcagni.
Each team would push across single runs in the fifth to make the score 8-8. Then, the Nor'easters took a 10-8 lead in the top of the seventh when Lisa Baillargeon '08 (Berlin, N.H.) homered to right field.
Nichols came right back in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a pair of unearned runs after two outs were recorded. UNE made three costly errors in the inning, enabling the Bison to force extras.
After both teams went scoreless in the eighth and UNE failed to score in the top of the ninth, Nichols' Loren Rozanski '10 (Plainville, Conn.) reached on a one-out throwing error, the Nor'easters sixth miscue of the contest. Person doubled to move Rozanski to third and set up Brignoli's game-winning hit.
Lombardo had four hits to lead Nichols' 16-hit attack. Brignoli and Christina Hebert '09 (Johnston, R.I.) contributed three hits apiece. Person (11-5), the starting pitcher, was pulled after four innings, but returned in the top of the eighth to earn the victory.
Morin had three hits and three runs batted in to pace UNE. Baillargeon, Ashley DePasquale '09 (Uxbridge, Mass.) and Julie Monteiro '10 (Portsmouth, R.I.) each added two hits.
(posted May 2, 2008 | 20:24 ET)
