Raiders improve to 11-3 in the GNAC with a doubleheader sweep at Norwich

Story courtesy of Norwich Sports Information

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Rivier College Softball team snapped Norwich University's three game as the Raiders swept a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) games from the Cadets at the NU Softball Field on Friday afternoon.

Rivier (19-5, 11-3 GNAC) capitalized on a combined 13 Norwich errors on the day to take a 15-2 win in five innings in Game 1 and then edging out the Cadets 5-4 in the nightcap.

In Game 1, Rivier's Catherine Roy went 4-for-4 with four singles and four runs scored to lead the GNAC's top hitting team to a 17-hit barrage. The Raiders jumped out on top with six runs in the first inning with the help of two Norwich errors and then they added a pair of runs each in the second and third innings to take 10-0 lead.

Norwich sophomore catcher Abby Belcher (Winthrop, Mass.) provided the lone spark for the Cadets in the opener with a two-run blast over the left centerfield fence to account for the only Norwich runs with her second home run on the year.

The Raiders' Lauren Beatty, Amanda Thornton, Marissa Mercier and Samantha Verney each had two hits as well. Beatty led Rivier with three RBIs including two coming on double as a part of the Raiders' five-run fifth inning.

Norwich sophomore Kaylie Miller (Long Lake, N.Y.) took the loss to drop to 4-4 on the season. Rivier's Nadjeska Reynolds went all five innings, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out six and walking two. She improved to 6-3 on the year.

In the nightcap, Norwich (11-9, 6-6 GNAC) drew first blood with junior second baseman Noel Byers (Iron Mountain, Mich.) delivering a two-out RBI single to plate Belcher and give the Cadets a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

However, Rivier responded right back with three unearned runs in the top of the second inning after Norwich committed four errors in the frame. The Cadets had a chance to escape unscathed after freshman pitcher Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) struck out Kirstie Clark to record the second out and then induced a ground ball to second base that skipped off the glove of the Norwich second baseman allowing all the runners to reach base safely, as well as allow Beatty to score.

Rivier's leadoff hitter Nicole Peacock then delivered the big blow with a two-run single back up the middle to give the Raiders a 3-1 lead.

Norwich answered back in the bottom of the third inning with RBI hits from Byers and sophomore utility player Briana Day (Yelm, Wash.) to tie the game at 3.

But, the tie wouldn't last long as Rivier plated two more runs in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI ground out from Roy and then Peacock scoring after an error by the Norwich shortstop.

The Cadets didn't go away though and they threatened in the bottom of the seventh with the game-tying and winning runs both reaching base after Belcher's RBI single plated Megan Campbell (Piney River, Va.) and cut the deficit to 5-4.

Sophomore first baseman Erin Clark (Bradford, Vt.) singled to put runners on first and second, but Rivier's starting pitcher Beatty got freshman shortstop Kelly Travers (Whitman, Mass.) to strike out swinging to end the game and complete the doubleheader sweep for the Raiders.

Norwich returns to the diamond on Saturday afternoon when the Cadets host Albertus Magnus in another GNAC doubleheader. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Cadets currently sit seventh in the conference standings with Albertus Magnus (10-12, 6-8 GNAC) right on their heels in eighth. The Falcons beat Norwich 4-3 earlier this season during the Cadets' spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. at the Snowbird Softball Classic.