Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 STANDISH, Maine – The New England College softball team saw their 2024 season come to an end on Saturday in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) playoffs, beating Mitchell College 6-3 in the double-elimination round before falling short in nine innings to Johnson & Wales University, 4-3.
The Pilgrims conclude their campaign with a 16-24 record, reaching the elimination round of the GNAC championships in just their first season in the league. It was one of the youngest squads in the team's history, as NEC boasted just three upper-classmen, with 14 first-years and sophomores on the roster.

GAME 1 – MITCHELL 3, NEC 6

• Playing as the home team against Mitchell College and with both teams' seasons hanging in the balance, NEC would strike first in the bottom of the third when graduate leftfielder Emily Gagne (Portsmouth, N.H.), already the Pilgrims' all-time leader in stolen bases and the GNAC's leader in steals this season, singled to reach first, then stole second, then stole third, then scored off a fielding error with two outs to give her team the 1-0 lead.
• In the bottom of the fifth, NEC sophomore catcher Emma Lopez (Downey, Calif.) doubled to left-center to plate sophomore shortstop Grace Giesler (La Mirada, Calif.), increasing the lead to two. On the very next at-bat, an RBI single by freshman first baseman Abigail Grimes (Baltimore, Md.) drove in Lopez, making it 3-0 in favor of the Pilgrims.
• Later tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Giesler stepped up to the plate with two outs and two runners on and crushed a two-RBI triple to left center that not only put the 'Grims back on top, but gave Giesler 100 career hits in just her second season. Lopez drove Giesler in on the next at-bat, and the 6-3 score would hold up, keeping NEC's season alive.
• NEC junior pitcher Olivia Olson (North Haven, Conn.) picked up her 13^th win of the season for the Pilgrims, allowing just three earned runs over seven innings.

GAME 2 – NEC 3, JOHNSON & WALES 4 (9 INNINGS)

• Trailing Johnson & Wales 1-0 in the top of the third, Grimes stepped to the plate and hit an RBI single through the right side to score Giesler and tie the game up.
• Then in the top of the fifth, Giesler launched a single down the left field line, driving in sophomore second baseman Ashleigh Lemay (Derry, N.H.) to give the Pilgrims their first lead of the game. On the very next at-bat, a costly error by the Wildcats on an infield single by Lopez allowed Giesler to score, giving NEC a 3-1 lead.
• Johnson & Wales would tie it up with runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth, ultimately sending the game into extra innings. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, JWU freshman Jessica Forneiro (Kings Park, N.Y.) hit a walk-off RBI single to left center to win it for the Wildcats, ending the Pilgrims' season.

UP NEXT

• Congratulations to the whole team on the conclusion of their season.

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.