BOSTON, Mass. -- Simmons Softball fell to the Emerson College Lions 9-8 and 4-3 in extra innings in a closely fought battle in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action Sunday afternoon at the Rotch Field Playground.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Sharks took an early lead when Emily Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) hit a two-run homer off Lions pitcher Alexandra Magistro. The Lions offense came alive in the bottom of the second when Brittany Rochford doubled to left center to drive in two runs. At the Lions next at bat, Bianca Buono homered to center field and picked up two RBI's to lead the Sharks 4-2.

After a scoreless third inning, the Sharks drove in five runs in the top of the fourth. Christina Mulcahy (Cambridge, Mass.) started off the inning with a single up the middle and advanced to third on an error by the center fielder. Cailin Pagel (Dorchester, Mass.) drove in Mulcahy before Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) doubled to send Pagel across home plate. E. Cunningham doubled to left center for two RBI's to end the scoring for the Sharks. The Lions added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Kelsey Tuthill singled through the left side to drive in Rochford but the Sharks maintained a 7-5 lead.

Emerson took back the lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs off three doubles and a single to lead by two. The Sharks cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth when Katie McCarthy (Falmouth, Maine) doubled to left field to move H. Cunningham to third. H. Cunningham scored on the next at bat when E. Cunningham hit a sacrifice fly to second base.

The Sharks defense held the Lions to a scoreless bottom of the sixth and had the tying run on base in the top of the seventh when Ari King (Westford, Mass.) doubled but the Lions made the final out of the inning to win 9-8.

The second game of the afternoon was a pitching dual between Sharks freshman Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) and the Lions Kelsey Tuthill, who each pitched complete games and recorded 11 strikeouts apiece.

Simmons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Alaina DeNoncour (Johnston, R.I.) hit her first collegiate home run to left field. The Sharks added two runs in the top of the fifth to increase their lead to three off back-to-back doubles by H. Cunningham and Jen Field (Windham, Maine). E. Cunningham singled to right field to drive in H. Cunningham and Amanda Gould (Kingston, N.H.) added a single to left field to drive in Field.

The Lions scored two runs in bottom of the sixth to cut the Sharks lead to one off a two-run home run by Buono. Emerson tied the game in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. The Sharks left the go ahead run on third in the top of the eighth before Emerson picked up the game winning single by Shannon Trosian to score Tuthill who was placed on second.


The Sharks (11-10, 7-3 GNAC) return to the field on Friday, April 6th for a GNAC doubleheader at Suffolk University beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Lions (17-6, 11-1) travel to Johnson & Wales on the same date for 3:30 p.m. start.