NEWTON, Mass. – After having its entire weekend slate of games postponed, the Norwich University softball team finally returned to action on Tuesday with its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) season opener at Lasell College.

Norwich (7-5, 2-0 GNAC) got its 2013 GNAC regular season title defense off on the right foot with a doubleheader sweep of Lasell. The Cadets earned a 2-0 win behind a stellar pitching performance from junior Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) in Game 1 before pounding out 14 hits in a 9-3 victory in the nightcap.

Baita fired a complete game two-hitter with eight strikeouts to completely shutdown Lasell's offense in the first game of the day.

Norwich scored a run in each of the first two innings with senior Melissa Rome (Enfield, Conn.) plating sophomore Justina George (Wallingford, Conn) with a RBI double after George reached base on a walk.

The Cadets tacked on another run in the bottom of the second inning with Kelly Travers (Whitman, Mass.) knocking her second double of the day and scoring sophomore Angie Hershberger (Felton, Calif.).

That would be all the run support Baita would need as she cruised until facing a little bit of adversity in the top of the seventh. The first two Lasell (10-6, 3-3 GNAC) batters reached base with Nicole LeBlanc working out a walk and then Denise Archetto reaching on an error. Emily Noll advanced the runners to second and third with a ground out to the right side of the infield giving the Lasers two runners in scoring position with just one out.

However, Baita bore down and got Molly Prichett to strike out swinging and inducing Michaelea Grady into a ground out to shortstop to end the game and preserve the 2-0 win.

In Game 2, Norwich's offense broke out in a big way with all but one player in the lineup recording a hit. Travers led the way with a 3-for-4 effort including her third double of the day and her first home run of the season. Senior Abby Belcher (Winthrop, Mass.) continued to torch the ball with a 2-for-3 game with a home run as well.

Senior Briana Day (Yelm, Wash), along with sophomores Payton Warner (Harwich, Mass.) and Hershberger each had two hits as well for the Cadets in Game 2.

Norwich struck early again, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning with senior first baseman Erin Clark (Newbury, Vt.) producing a RBI and George scoring on a passed ball.

Lasell got a run back in the top of the third, but Norwich answered right back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Belcher homered to chase Lasell starting pitcher Krystel Enko. The Cadets then greeted relief pitcher Samantha Whynot with five straight base hits including a RBI single from Hershberger and a two-run single by Kaylie Miller (Long Lake, N.Y.)

Lasell cut into the deficit in the top half of the sixth with two runs to cut the lead to 6-3. But, Norwich answered quickly again with three runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Travers solo home run to lead off the inning and RBI singles from Day and Warner.

Miller earned the win on the mound for Norwich to improve to 3-2 on the year. She went the distance surrendering 10 hits and two earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts.

Norwich continues its loaded week of games on Wednesday when it travels back down to Boston to take on Mount Ida in another GNAC doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. The Cadets will also play three doubleheaders this weekend with games at Rivier, Albertus Magnus and Saint Joseph's (Maine) respectively.

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