Softball Splits Road GNAC Doubleheader at Lasell Sunday

NEWTON, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) softball team rounded out the 2025 regular season by splitting a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) South Division doubleheader on the road at Lasell University (Lasell) Sunday afternoon at Taylor Field in Newton, Mass. The Blue Jays earned the victory in game one,7-4, before the Lasers came back to defeat USJ in game two, 10-9, after eight innings. Due to the Blue Jays victory in game one, the team secured the third-seed in the South Division, and will advance directly to the pod play portion of the 2025 GNAC Softball Tournament. With the results, the Blue Jays moved to 18-17 overall, 9-7 in the GNAC and 9-5 in South Division play, while the Lasers concluded their season at 10-24 overall, 8-10 in the GNAC and 6-8 in divisional play. 

GAME ONE: USJ 7, LASELL 4

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ wasted little time taking the lead, as senior Alyssa Roberts (Naugatuck, Conn.) slashed a two-out RBI single to left field, plating junior outfielder Kaitlyn Ouellette (Wolcott, Conn.) and establishing a 1-0 USJ lead.
• Lasell answered in the bottom of the second, scoring two runs to grab the lead, 2-1, after two innings.
• The Blue Jays fired back in the top half of the fourth, as freshman infielder Sophia Onofrio (Naugatuck, Conn.) slashed an RBI single to center field, tying the game at 2-2.
• Two batters later, junior catcher Allison Conger (Plainfield, Conn.) also notched an RBI single to center, sending Onofrio home and reestablishing a USJ edge, 3-2.
• Junior outfielder Avianna Ibrahim (Colchester, Conn.) kept the run parade alive in the following at-bat, reaching via a fielders choice that saw freshman outfielder Lorynes Suriel (Lynn, Mass.) score on the play and increase the gap to 4-2.
• Senior infielder Jenna Zup (Berlin, Conn.) followed up with an RBI single to right, before junior infielder Emma Carpenter (Brooklyn, Conn.) notched an RBI infield single, extending the lead to 6-2 after four innings.
• Carpenter recorded another RBI in the top half of the sixth, hitting a ball deep enough into the infield to score Ibrahim and extend the advantage to 7-2.
• Lasell would try and mount a comeback, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but junior hurler Paige Fekete (Watertown, Conn.) did not surrender any further runs, perserving the victory, 7-4.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Zup paced the team in game one, batting 3-for-4.
• Carpenter racked up a team-best two RBI.
• Onofrio notched her first career RBI and first multi-hit game.
• Ouellette stole the lone base for USJ.
• Fekete earned the complete game victory (5-6) after allowing four runs off eight hits, while striking out two Lasers.

GAME TWO: LASELL 10, USJ 9 (8 INNINGS)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Jays grabbed another early lead in game two, as Ouellette notched an RBI infield single, establishing a 1-0 edge.
• Two batters later, freshman outfielder Gabby Marichal (Lynn, Mass.) launched a three-run homer, increasing the gap to 4-0 after the opening frame.
• Sophomore infielder Jennifer Antonowicz (Wolcott, Conn.) extended the advantage to 5-0 in the top of the second, slashing an RBI double to right field.
• Lasell responded in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs to close the gap to one, 5-4.
• Ouellette continued her strong day in the top of the fifth, notching an RBI doulbe to the right center gap, before Roberts recorded an infielder RBI single, increasing the lead to 7-4.
• Freshman catcher Sadie Girgasky (Bethlehem, Conn.) increased the gap to 8-4 later in the inning, slashing an RBI single to right to plate classmate Gianna Quaresima (Rocky Hill, Conn.).
• The Lasers would not go away though, scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh to knot the score at 8-8 and force extra innings.
• Girgasky came up big for USJ in extra frames, recording an RBI off a groundout to give USJ the lead, 9-8.
• However, Lasell would walk it off in the bottom of the eighth inning to snatch the victory, 10-9.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Antonowicz, Ouellette, Roberts and Carpenter all posted two-hit games.
• Marichal notched a game-high three RBI after hitting her first career homerun.
• Roberts got the start in the circle, picking up the loss (7-7) after allowing 10 runs, eight of which were earned, off 11 hits and stirking out two batters across 7.1 innings.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays will begin the 2025 GNAC Playoffs on Thursday, May 1. An opponent and location for the opening contest of Pod Play is still to be determined.

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