Lions Grand Slam Powers Emerson Past Endicott

Emerson's Nikki Battaglia (Freehold, N.J.) turned on a full-count offering in the top of the second inning, launching a grand slam over the left field wall to help lift the fifth-seeded Lions to a 5-1 win over fourth-seeded Endicott in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The win moves Emerson into a Friday match-up with top-seeded Tufts University, while Endicott will now meet Husson in a loser's bracket game on the same day.

After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first off an RBI single from Meghan Sargent (Salisbury, Mass.) that plated leadoff hitter Jenna Lazar (Milton, Mass.), the Gulls' pitcher Jenna Bortolotti (Milton, Mass.) struggled to find the strike zone in the top of second. Bortolotti hit the first two batters of the frame, and then surrendered a single to Kelsey Tuthill (Middlefield, Conn.) to load the bases. With the count full at 3-2, junior Nikki Battaglia laced a bases-clearing grand slam over the left field fence to make it 4-1 in favor of the Lions.

The score would stay that way until the top of the sixth where Emerson tacked on a fifth run to take a four run lead. The Lions once again got on the board by way of the long ball, as Jilisa Rawding (Tewksbury, Mass.) belted a solo shot to left field.

The cushion was all pitcher Kelsey Tuthill would need as the Emerson freshman improved her record to 19-5 with a complete game victory. Tuthill slowed the Endicott offense to a tune of just one run on four hits, all while striking out nine Gull batters. Jenna Bortolotti took the loss to fall to 20-4 as she went the distance allowing five runs on five hits.

Emerson will now face Tufts University, who convincingly defeated eighth-seeded Husson University, 17-1, in the day's opening game. Start time for that contest is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Friday.

Courtesy: Endicott Athletic Communications