Softball Sweeps Bay Path in First-Ever NECC Series Saturday

QUINCY, Mass.- Junior Elisabeth Schaffer (Benton, Pa.) clobbered her team-leading fourth home run and tossed a no-hitter to propel the Eastern Nazarene College softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Bay Path in the first home games of the spring and first-ever New England Collegiate Conference contests. The Lions won 8-0 and 10-2 in a pair of six-inning games.

The Lions improve to 11-7 on the season and start the NECC slate at 2-0. The Wildcats dip to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play with the results.

Kori Bow (Shaftsbury, Vt.) registered a team-high five hits, four RBIs, three runs scored, and three stolen bases on the day. Kiley Ozaki (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) finished with four base knocks, four RBIs, and one run scored. Rebecca Hayner (Halfmoon, N.Y.) notched three hits, four runs scored, and one stolen base. Schaffer collected two hits, three runs, and three RBIs while Dominique Santos (Lancaster, Calif.) chipped in with three base knocks, two runs scored, and a stolen base.

In game one, Eastern Nazarene posted an 8-0 victory in six innings behind a perfect game in the pitcher's circle by Schaffer.

The home side opened the scoring in the third inning to grab a 1-0 edge. Ozaki scorched a base hit to left field to drive in Hayner from second base.

The Lions produced four runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 5-0. Bow laced a single to plate Schaffer before Santos scurried home on a double-steal with Bow swiping second base. Bow crossed the dish on a single to left field by Hayner. Jenessa Huerta (El Monte, Calif.) scored Hayner from third base with a groundout.

Eastern Nazarene tallied three runs in the sixth to walk off with an 8-0 win. Huerta flared a base hit inside the left field line to drive in Santos before Hayner and Bow both scored on an error.

Schaffer finished with eight strikeouts in her ninth start of the year while allowing zero base-runners.

In the second tilt of the day, the Lions landed 10 hits to roll to a 10-2 victory.

The hosts exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the third. Bow scampered home as Hayner reached on an error. Viviana Coix (Warrenville, Ill.) raked a one-out single to the gap in left-centerfield to plate Hayner from third base. Ozaki followed with a two-run base knock up the middle to drive in Coix and Huerta. Following a walk by Lauren Clements (Garrison, Texas), Schaffer launched a three-run homer over the towering left field fence to score Julia Seeley (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and Ozaki.

Bay Path got on the board with a pair of scores in the top of the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 7-2. Cameille Keith roped a two-out double to centerfied to drive in Madison Goodhart and Noelle Bisignano.

Eastern Nazarene chalked up two runs in the home half of the fifth to regain a seven-run advantage, 9-2. Bow sliced a single to right field to plate Schaffer and Clements.

The Lions clinched their second win of the day with a run in the sixth. Ozaki drove in the game-winning run with a single to left-center to knock in Rebecca Ashman (Havre de Grace, Md.) from third base.

Meghan Stanley (Bedford, Mass.) spun a complete game in her fourth start and recorded a pair of strikeouts.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene steps out of conference to battle Simmons April 3.