LIONS CLAW PAST REGIS, 5-1 AND 7-0

WESTON, Mass. – Eastern Nazarene College swept a non-conference softball doubleheader from Regis College by scores of 5-1 and 7-0 on Wednesday night in Weston, Mass. The Lions improve to 14-22 overall with the two wins, while Regis drops to 6-21 in 2012.

In game one, Eastern Nazarene struck first as Samantha Losano (Elverta, Calif.) led off the game with a single and later came around to score on an RBI hit by Abigail Moore (Sheridan, Calif.) to give the Lions an early 1-0 lead. ENC tacked on one more in the top of the second as the Lions took advantage of a throwing error by the Pride.

Regis cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth when Sarah Porteus (South Wellfleet, Mass.) lofted a pop up in the infield that dropped between three Lions players and allowed Shannon Bradish (Lawrence, Mass.) to scoot home to make it a 2-1 game. Eastern Nazarene responded with two runs in the top of the sixth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Hannah Moore (Sheridan, Calif.) and Carissa Cicolini (Methuen, Mass.).

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Regis loaded the bases by taking advantage of a pair of Lions miscues, but could not force in any runs. Kori Sorensen's (Quincy, Mass.) RBI groundout in the top of the seventh made it a 5-1 game, and the Pride went in order in their half of the inning to end the game.

Emily Pickett (Wrentham, Mass.) suffered the setback for Regis, tossing seven innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits and a pair of strikeouts. Kara Donovan (Woburn, Mass.), Bruning, and Sarah Porteus registered the lone hits of the game for Regis. Donovan's hit was her third triple of the year.

Eastern Nazarene's Jamie Block (Pembroke, Mass.) allowed only one unearned run and three hits in seven innings of work with five strikeouts for her first win of the year. Five Lions players registered multi-hit games led by Samantha Losano and Hannah Moore combining to go 4-for-7 with four runs scored.

The Lions received another strong pitching performance in the night cap as Kori Sorensen scattered three hits over seven shutout innings and struck out nine batters in the 7-0 victory.

Sorensen and Regis' Sarah Porteus matched zeroes through the first three innings, but the Lions scored three runs in the top of the fourth to give Sorensen all the support she would need. Taylor Fleming (Upland, Ind.) led off the inning with a triple down the line in right field and came around on an RBI single by Jamie Block. Following a Sorensen single, Cicolini laced a double down the right field line that scored both runs to give the Lions their 3-0 advantage. Eastern Nazarene added one more in the sixth on another RBI double by Cicolini, then added three runs in the seventh to take the 7-0 decision.

Sarah Porteus went seven innings and allowed seven earned runs on 13 hits in the loss. Jill Bruning, Kara Donovan, and Caitlin White (Littleton, Mass.) managed the only three hits off Sorensen in the setback.

For the Lions, Taylor Fleming and Carissa Cicolini each went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Kori Sorensen helped her cause at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and three runs scored. Cicolini also drove in three runs to lead the Lions.

Regis returns to New England Collegiate Conference action tomorrow night when the Pride hosts Wheelock College in a doubleheader starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Nazarene advances to the Commonwealth Coast Conference postseason, starting Saturday afternoon.