QUINCY, Mass.- After dropping game one 8-1 to the top-seeded Eastern Nazarene Lions, the New England College Softball team responded to eliminate the No. 3 seed, Mitchell College, on the first day of the New England Collegiate Conference Softball Tournament at Mitchell/McCoy Field, Friday afternoon.

THE BASICS
Score: No. 1 Eastern Nazarene College 8, No. 4 New England College 1 (Game One)

No. 4 New England College 9, No. 3 Mitchell College 0 - Five Innings (Game Two)

Records: Pilgrims (13-19, 4-8 NECC) | Lions (21-20, 8-4 NECC) | Mariners (19-21, 6-6 NECC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One – No. 1 Eastern Nazarene College 8, No. 4 New England College 1

New England College jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning as Destiny Cardona drove in Emily Gagne with a single down the right-field line. The Lions eventually got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, as they struck three times in the frame. Eastern Nazarene push their lead to 6-1 after a three-run bottom of the fifth.

ENC put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, as they added two more runs to their line score, making it 8-1.

Game Two – No. 4 New England College 9, No. 3 Mitchell College 0 - Five Innings
The NEC bats came alive in their second game of the day, as the Pilgrims got on the scoreboard in the top of the second, as they exploded for five runs in the frame. Monia Andrade, Olivia Olson, and Destiny Helmedach picked up RBI in the inning, but Gagne capped off the inning as she stole home on a double-steal.

New England College pulled away in the top of the third, as they struck for four more runs to go up 9-0. Kaitlyn Simpson joined Olson and Helmedach with RBI base-knocks.

Emily Farone picked up the win for NEC, as she pitched 5.0 of one-hit softball.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Emily Nelson went 5-for-6 on the day while also scoring two runs.
• New England College leads both all-time series, 34-22 vs. ENC and 10-3 vs. Mitchell.

UP NEXT

• NEC vs. Loser of Eastern Nazarene/Lesley Game, Saturday, May 7, 12:00 pm