CLERMONT, Fla. -- Simmons softball put up an eight-run third inning as senior Ari King (Westford, Mass.) recorded her first career gland slam to defeat the Lesley University Lynx 11-3 in six innings in the Sharks first game of the day.
After a scoreless first two innings, Lesley broke the stalemate off a double down the left field line by Nicole Mercurio to score Emily Mangiaratti and Maria Nazzaro. But the lead was short lived as the Sharks recorded six hits for eight runs in the bottom of the third.
After Jordan Thomas walked King to start the inning, Emily Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) started things off with a single to center field. Alaina DeNoncour (Johnston, R.I.) added a single down the third base line and Jess Uschmann (Feeding Hills, Mass.) picked up her first RBI of the year with a single to left field. Amanda Cordeiro (Fall River, Mass.) singled to centerfield to score E. Cunningham and Jen Field (Windham, Maine) reached first off an error by the Lynx short stop for the Sharks third run.
Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) singled to left field to score Uschmann before King hit her first career grand slam, driving in Cordeiro, Field and H. Cunningham. Lesley added a run in the top of the fourth when Mangiaratti singled to score Nazaro from second but Cordeiro and the Sharks defense maintained their five run lead into the bottom of the sixth.
Jess Uschmann singled down the left field line for her third hit of the game and Cordeiro sent a shot into left field to start the inning. Field singled up the middle to load the bases for H. Cunningham who doubled to center field, driving in three runs to end the game by the run rule, 11-3. Cordeiro picked up her first win of the year, pitching all six innings with seven hits and three strikeouts while Thomas took the loss.
In the second game of the day, the Sharks fell to the Finlandia University Lions, 7-5. Simmons scored first in the top of the third when H. Cunningham advanced to home off a single by King. But the Lions found their bats in the bottom of the third as Ashley Benavidez singled to score Monica Salaz and Kristen Rose followed with a grand slam.
The Sharks rebounded in the fifth, scoring four runs to tie the game at five. Catcher Victoria Luongo (Medford, Mass.) led off with a double to left center, her first of the season. Field singled to left and H. Cunningham picked up an RBI as Luongo crossed home plate. E. Cunningham flied out to center field but Field tagged up to continue the Sharks come back before Christina Mulcahy (Cambridge, Mass.) hit a two-run homer to tie the game at five. But Finlandia scored one run in the fifth and one in the sixth to defeat the Sharks, 7-5.
Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) took the loss for the Sharks, pitching all seven innings with seven strikeouts while Alyson Herma recorded the win for the Lions.
Simmons returns to action tomorrow morning versus Keene State at 9:00 a.m. and Rhode Island College at 11:00 a.m. in Clermont, Fla.