Boarman blanks Lions in five; Lombardo stars at plate with three hits, three RBI

2016 CCC SOFTBALL BRACKET

BEVERLY, Mass. - The No. 3 seed Salve Regina softball team put away No. 6 Eastern Nazarene Tuesday afternoon, 8-0 (5 inn.) at the Softball Field in Game 4 of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament to advance to face host No. 2 seed Endicott in the second game of the day.

Following a half hour rain delay, junior pitcher Kelsey Boarman (North Dighton, Mass.) was perfect through the first three innings before junior center fielder Kaitlyn Jimenez (Meriden, Conn.) broke up the bid with a single down the right field line to lead off the fourth inning for the Lions.

Boarman improved to 10-9 on the season in the circle as she faced 18 batters and tossed a two-hit shutout while striking out three.

The Seahawks put up three runs (all unearned) in the bottom of the first as they sent eight batters to the plate and tacked on three more in the second, capitalized by the hot-hitting of freshman third baseman Elizabeth Lombardo's (Thomaston, Conn.) who went 3-for-3 in the game and was a double short of hitting for the cycle as she drove in three runs and scored two runs of her own.

Lombardo singled through the right side to drive in the game's first run and tripled to right center and scored on a throwing error in the second inning.

Salve Regina added one run in the third and capped the scoring with Lombardo's solo shot over the scoreboard in left field in the fourth.

Freshman pitcher Lauren Weidler (Lansdale, Pa.) fell to 10-8 on the season as she allowed seven runs (four earned) on eight hits and struck out two in three innings of work. Freshman pitcher Meghan Stanley (Bedford, Mass.) came on in relief in the fourth and gave up one run on Lombardo's home run.

NOTES
• The Seahawks swept the regular-season series on April 23 (8-0, 10-1) in five and six innings, respectively.
•  Freshman outfielder Lindsey Florent (New Bedford, Mass.) had a single, an RBI, and two runs scored.
•  Freshman shortstop Amanda Riley (Barrington, N.H.) doubled twice, scored a run and drove in another.
•  Freshman catcher Lauren Clements (Garrison, Texas) collected the other single for the Lions, while freshman pinch-hitter Tylan Onorato (Wiscassett, Maine) reached base on an error in the fifth.

NEXT UP
Salve Regina (21-16, 14-4 CCC) - will play Endicott in the second game of the day; both teams will advance to Thursday, May 5 with games to be determined
Eastern Nazarene (16-24, 7-11 CCC) - awaits the loser of Game 5 (Roger Williams/University of New England/Western New England) in Game 8 set for Thursday, May 5, at American International with a game time to be determined.