KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Lesley University softball program played hard against Lake Forest College and Coast Guard Academy on day one of their spring training experience down at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida but lost both games.  The Lynx will play another doubleheader tomorrow afternoon against Hiram College and Marian College.

Game One vs. Lake Forest College

The Lynx kicked off their 2009 season against the Lake Forest College Foresters who have spent much of the last seven season atop the Midwest Conference, having won five of the last seven conference championships.  Lake Forest held Lesley to just one run on two hits as the Foresters defeated the Lynx 2-1.

In the top of the first inning, the Lynx threatened to take an early lead as leadoff batter Lani Cabral-Pini (Wilmington, Mass.) dropped a bunt down the third base line and beat the throw to get on.  Gianna Spaziante (Hawthorne, N.Y.) followed with a bloop single up the middle.

A groundout to the third baseman, a wild pitch to advance the runners, and a walk to Sarah Wilson (Lowell, Mass.) loaded the bases with just one out.  Foresters' pitcher Gretchen Galasek (Oak Park, Ill.) got out of the jam by forcing the next batter to ground back to the mound for a home-to-first base double play.

Lake Forest would eventually get on the board in the second inning.  With runners on second and third base and two outs, junior Charice Wilczynski (Long Grove, Ill.) hit a single to left field that scored two.  The Lynx escaped further damage as the Foresters took a 2-0 advantage.

Lesley got a run back in the third inning after Cabral-Pini walked and stole second base to put herself in scoring position.  Spaziante followed with a roped double down the left field line to score the runner and cut the Lake Forest lead down to 2-1.  Spaziante would be stranded and the Lynx failed to get a runner in scoring position the rest of the game.

For the Foresters, Galasek pitched seven strong innings with six strikeouts.  The sophomore gave up just one earned run but walked seven batters in the game.  Lesley's Alicia Burnett (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) was solid in the loss, giving up just two hits and two runs while striking out three. 

Game Two vs. Coast Guard Academy

Coast Guard Academy defeated Lesley 11-0 in five innings in the second game of the day.  The Bears collected 16 hits as a team and all but one starter got at least one hit in the game. 

Jeannie Clump (Roseville, Calif.) and Courtney Wolf (Fredericksburg, Va.) both knocked in three runs batted in to lead the Bears.  Wolf helped score the first runs of the game in the third inning with a single to left field that scored two runners.  An RBI single from Colleen Denny (Clarence City, N.Y.) knocked in Wolf and Coast Guard took a 3-0 lead after three innings.

The Bears did the majority of their damage in a seven-run fifth inning which featured a bases clearing double to right center that brought in three runs by Crump. 

Coast Guard pitcher Hayley Feindel (River Ridge, La.) dominated through four innings of working as the freshman struck out eight Lynx batters. 

To learn more about the Lesley University softball team, please visit their website.

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu