Boston, MA - Northern Vermont University-Lyndon couldn't get their bats going on Sunday afternoon, dropping both ends of their non-conference softball doubleheader at Emerson College. Lion pitcher Jessica Gomez delivered a one-hit shutout in the opener, leading the hosts to a 6-0 victory. Emerson then got their bats going in the nightcap, pounding out 11 hits in a 10-3 win. Emerson improved t0 10-4 with the sweep, while Lyndon fell to 4-7 on the season.
Game 1 - Emerson 6, NVU-Lyndon 0
Gomez was the story of the opener, as she retired the first 14 Hornets that she faced, before Saleena Porter (St. Johnsbury, VT) drew a fifth inning walk. Hannah Corvino (Milford, DE) picked up Lyndon's first and only hit leading off the sixth inning. The Hornets were able to load the bases after a pair of walks, but Gomez pitched out of trouble to preserve the shutout. She finished with nine strikeouts in the complete game win.
Gomez helped her own cause with an RBI double that gave Emerson their first run. Mackenzie Rice and Mackenzie Killough had two hits apiece for the Lions.
Corvino went the distance in the circle for the Hornets. She allowed five earned runs, striking out a pair while walking eight.
Game 2 - Emerson 10, NVU-Lyndon 3
The Lions jumped on Hornet starter Victoria Valentine (Burke, VT) for four runs in the bottom of the first inning of the nightcap. Killough's two-run single and Kit Zenga's RBI double were the big blows in the five hit inning.
The Hornets got their bats working for the first time in the top of the second inning. Porter and Valentine started things with back to back base hits off of Zenga. Adriana Lemieux (ST,. Johnsbury, VT), then laid down a sacrifice bunt, scoring Porter with Lyndon's first run of the day. After Valentine moved to third on a wild pitch and Audrey Tembreull (Vergennes, VT) was hit by a pitch and stole second, Blake Southworth (Bethel, VT) delivered a two-out, two-run double to bring the Hornets back to within 4-3.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, that would be as close as things would get, as Emerson added two more runs in the third inning then broke the game open with four in the fourth.
Killough had three hits and drove in four runs for the Lions. Zenga picked up the complete game win, allowing eight hist and striking out three against only one walk. She helped her own cause with four runs batted in. Rice and Claire Overton had two hits each for Emerson.
Bailey Quire (Gainesville, FL) had a single and a double for Lyndon. Seairra Anderson (Somersworth, NH) also had two hits. Valentine went five innings before being relieved by Emily Anderson (Levittown, NY), who pitched a scoreless sixth.
The Hornets will travel to Bay Path University for another non-conference doubleheader next Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.